Ninjago: Ninja's Way
by Naruby7
Summary: This story occurs after the first defeat of the Overlord. Rebooted is not present. The ninja are happy with the defeat of the Overlord, but Darkness rises from the depths, and the ninja must band together with a group of new allies to fight the terror of this evil. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

The sun was about to set. The people of Ninjago city were heading back to their homes from late shifts at work, or starting them. A certain ship had stood within the center of Ninjago city were a great battle of good and evil had taken place, with good conquering the evil of the Overlord. Peace was restored to all of Ninjago, and our heroes had reunited with their families. However, they felt it necessary to stay together until the repairs upon the empty lot that was once the Overlord's tower, now a pile of rubble, was cleared out.

After working through the day, though not as hard since it was Saturday, our heroes decided to take an early break to watch the sunset together. Considering that they were in Ninjago city and it would be hard to actually watch the sunset, our heroes still enjoyed each others' company. However, this time of relaxation and togetherness would soon come to an end, as night falls upon Ninjago, and a new darkness rises from the depths...

"Hey Jay, pass the popcorn," Kai said to the Blue ninja.

"Yeah sure, here ya go," Jay replied to the red ninja as he extended his arm out to his friend, giving him the bowl of salty awesomeness.

"Thanks man," Kai said, as he took the bowl gratefully.

"Hey, let me get some of that," Cole said, and Kai asked,

"Alright, hey didn't you already have some?"

"Well, yeah, but Lloyd's dragon decided to take the rest of it," Cole responded, as he turned to the four headed super dragon standing near the ship.

The dragon looked at Cole and decided it was best to take to the skies for a while.

"Ha. Well, here take the rest. I think I'll be alright for now," Kai said, as he handed Cole the leftover popcorn.

"Neat," Cole said, as he took the bowl and began eating the popcorn at a pretty rapid pace.

"Well Cole, I'm surprised. I thought you preferred eating cake above all else," Zane said, as he watched Cole consumed the remaining popcorn in a few moments.

"Whoa Whoa Whoa Zane, hold on. Nothing can be more fulfilling than eating a piece of cake, not even popcorn as good as this," Cole replied, holding up the empty bowl.

"Well, I see you are the last one to finish your plate Cole. Fitting, since it _is_ your turn to wash the dishes," Sensei Wu said, as he emerged from within the Destiny's Bounty on deck.

Along with Sensei Wu followed Lloyd, Garmadon, and Misako.

"Aw man. Alright, I'll clean them after the sun sets," Cole said.

"That's fine," Sensei Wu replied.

"Man this is great! Having the Bounty back in shape is awesome," Jay said, as he leaned back on the railing.

"Yeah, it was nice of Zane's dad to fix the Bounty and bring it back from the Dark islands," Kai said.

"Speaking of which, where is your dad Zane?" Cole asked the ice ninja.

"Well, my father went to study the constellations somewhere outside Ninjago city. He said he would return by tomorrow evening," Zane replied, while Nya emerged from within the Bounty and said,

"Well, everything checks out. We finally finished clearing out the rubble from the streets of Ninjago city, and the Bounty is all ready for tomorrow."

"Sweet! We finally finished," Jay said.

"Also, Dareth decided to throw a party, in celebration of our triumph over the Overlord," Nya said.

"You mean how 'Dareth helped to save Ninjago using the Stone army and the Helmet of Darkness' party?" Kai said, a little sarcasm in his voice.

"Hehe, yeah that makes more sense," Lloyd responded.

Everyone started to laugh thinking about how Dareth would brag about how he helped fight the Overlord, and how the Overlord trembled with fear at his awesome might... and the Green ninja helped of course.

The sun had set upon their laughter, and then, as the laughing died down, the alarm went off on the Bounty.

"Huh? The alarm," Jay said.

"That's strange, what could it be?" Misako asked.

"Well whatever it is, we're gonna find out. Come on guys," Kai said as he entered the Bounty, followed by everyone else on the vessel.

As everyone entered the main computer room, Nya went straight to work on the computer to find what caused the alarm to sound.

"What could be going on at this time?" Cole asked.

"Probably just another petty criminal trying to make a quick buck," Kai suggested.

"Or maybe criminal_s_," Jay added.

"There is a small possibility that the alarm would sound for just any criminal activity unless the alarm has a flaw," Zane responded.

"Yeah, that makes sense too," Cole said, as he crossed his arms.

"What if it's the Serpentine? We haven't seen them in a while," Garmadon proposed.

"That's right. We haven't encountered any Serpentine since the Stone army first invaded Ninjago city. They could have been planning something this whole time," Lloyd suggested.

Then Nya cut in, "Got it! I was able to scan the ground level of all of Ninjago city for any suspicious or serpentine activity. It should come up in 3...2...1...now."

With that, the computer screen began pulsing a signal throughout the map of Ninjago city. After that was done, the computer registered the scan and showed a single red dot.

"That red dot shows the number of Serpentine in Ninjago city," Nya explained, and then Jay said,

"Well there's only one Serpentine in all of Ninjago. That will be a piece of cake."

Then, the computer screen showed a second dot, a few feet from the first. Then another dot a few feet from the second, and so on until there were five dots in five separate locations, and Jay commented,

"Oh, well, that's not that bad, right?"

Then even more red dots appeared surrounding each of the first five red dots.

"You were saying Jay?" Cole asked.

"Okay okay! So there's way more than we thought, but we fought snakes before. It shouldn't be too difficult," Jay said, trying to be more confident, especially in front of Nya.

"Yeah, and with our new weapons, there's no way the Serpentine will stand a chance against us," Kai said, as he pulled out his fire elemental sword.

"Then it's settled. Everyone, let's split up. Jay and Zane will head North, Kai and Cole will head East, Lloyd will take the South, and Nya, you take the West. Misako, brother, we will take the group nearby," Sensei Wu said.

"Your sure you guys can handle the Serpentine alone?" Lloyd asked his uncle.

"Don't worry about us Lloyd, we've been around this long," Garmadon said to Lloyd, as he stepped toward his son and placed his hand on Lloyd's shoulder in reassurance.

Lloyd smiled at his father in understanding and put on his ninja hood.

"Alright everyone, let's move out!" Cole said, and with that, everyone headed out to their destinations, posthaste.

"You think he'll be alright by himself?" Misako asked as she watched her son heading South from on the Bounty's deck.

"Misako, I know Lloyd will be perfectly capable of handling the Serpentine. He's the Spinjitzu Master, and our son after all," Garmadon said, and he placed his arm around Misako to reassure her of their son's capabilities with a smile, which she returned.

Standing near the entrance of the Bounty from the deck, Sensei Wu watched Misako and Garmadon stand together with sadness filling his heart.

The ninja and samurai headed out to confront the Serpentine intruders and prevent them from causing any harm to the civilians of Ninjago city. Kai and Cole were heading East when they heard screams coming from their right.

"Let's go this way," Cole said, and they ran over to where the screams were coming from.

As they turned the corner, Kai and Cole saw civilians running to and fro, and what looked to be a group of Hypnobrai, but since the sun had set and night had fallen upon Ninjago, it was difficult to tell. Apparently, the street lights were damaged pretty badly, as well as around the area where the Serpentine were traveling. Most likely the Serpentine had done it themselves.

"Ugh. The Hypnobrai. These guys are annoying," Cole said, as he waved his sword in anger.

"Don't worry Cole. We've dealt with these guys before, it should be a synch," Kai said.

"-Sigh- Alright then, let's take them out," Cole said, and he ran forward to face the Serpentine.

"Right behind ya man," Kai replied, as he ran forth to join Cole in battle.

"Who are these ninja?" One of the Hypnobrai asked their leader.

"I'm unsure of who they are, but we cannot let anyone interfere. We mussst find her. Take them down," The leader waved their hand at the other Hypnobrai, and they began to run towards the ninja.

"Show me what you got!" Cole said, as the Hypnobrai started moving towards him.

"Let's do this," Kai said, as the clash between Serpentine and ninja began.

Heading towards the West, Nya was fully equipped in her Samurai X suit. As she flew overhead, she spotted a group of Venomari surrounded by broken street lights.

'_Hm, why are the Serpentine breaking streetlights? Well, it doesn't matter, they're not suppose to be here anyway. Time to take out the trash,' _Nya thought.

As she landed not too far from the Serpentine, there was much puzzlement around the Venomari about who this mechanical beast was. One of the Venomari said,

"Misss, what iss that? What do we do?"

SLAP!

"Oww!"

"We do what we have to do. We have a mission to accomplisshh. No interruptionsss! Take it out!" Their leader spoke, and the Venomari began to approach Nya in caution.

_'That's strange?'_ Was all Nya could think of when the Venomari leaped at her suddenly.

Heading South was Lloyd. He was traveling as quick as he could without tiring himself out by the time he reached the Serpentine. _'_

_What are they up to this time…?'_ Lloyd thought, and then stopped in his tracks when he saw a familiar tall figure slithering a few yards in front of him.

The only light was the sparks from the broken streetlights, dangling on their last line.

_'No, it can't be him. I thought the Great Devourer took care of him... Pythor,'_ Lloyd thought, as he approached the snake using stealth, and he almost blew his cover when two more snakes had approached the Anacondrai.

Lloyd's eyes widened in shock as he realized what those snakes were.

_'How is this possible? Pythor was supposed to be the only Anacondrai left. Then, who are these three?'_

Heading North, Jay and Zane had stumbled across a group of Constrictai as they hid in a dark alley, noticing that half of the streetlights were out.

"Why are the lights out?" Jay asked right before a Constrictai had tossed a piece of concrete at a streetlight, rendering it useless.

"Does that answer your question?" Zane whispered, as the Constrictai approached the same alley where Jay and Zane were hiding.

The two ninja stood still and were holding their breaths as the snake slowly approached the dark alley. Then, a shout was heard saying, "Over here! I think I found her!" The snakes turned to the source of the shout, and in a few seconds, the Constrictai had left the street empty. Jay and Zane emerged from the alley in confusion and wonder.

"The Serpentine appear to be looking for someone," Zane said.

"But who-" was all Jay could muster before a dark figure was seen running across the sidewalk, opposite side of Zane and Jay 's location.

"Who the-" Jay was once again cut off by the approaching group of Constrictai not too far away.

"Jay, try to distract the Serpentine. I'll go after the woman and see if she needs help," Zane said, and he sped off after the dark figure.

"Okay, I'll handle this... wait, how did you know it was a woman? Hold up. Zane! Don't leave me alone with them-"

"Going sssomewhere?"

Jay was waving his hands in Zane's direction, but stopped when he heard another voice behind him. When Jay turned around, he let out a small yelp as he came face-to-face with the Constrictai general.

"Hello little boy. You mind ssstepping assside to let me passss, even though it doesssn't matter if you _do_ mind." The Serpentine grinned, showing off it's fangs in the process.

Jay stepped back a little, but then he thought, '_Wait a minute... I'm a ninja! Duh!'_

The blue ninja pulled out his sword, which emitted a light bright enough to light the area around the Serpentine and himself. However, Jay realized something about these Serpentine that actually shocked the lightning ninja, as he said,

"Wha, What? How the, who the, what?"

_'I hope Jay will forgive me for my insolence, but it was all I could think of at the moment,'_ Zane thought as he was still running after the mysterious woman, who he saw clearer than Jay since he has night vision, when he noticed her hop up on the roof tops.

She jumped on the wall, wall kicked to a horizontal pole, swing 360 degrees, and flipped up to the roof. Zane proceeded to attempt the same maneuver as easily as the mysterious woman.

Upon reaching the roof top, Zane saw that no one was there, or on the next roof top.

_'Strange. I was sure I saw them jump he-'_

"He-ya!"

Clank!

Zane's thoughts were cut off by a surprise attack from the mysterious person. SHe stroke down from an unknown ledge only to strike the roof top itself. The mysterious woman was confused, and looked up to see Zane in a safe distance holding up his ice sword in a fighting stance.

"Please, I wish to-" The mysterious woman cut off Zane by running at him and swinging what appeared to be a staff in their hands.

Zane was able to dodge, but he didn't attack back because he wanted answers, and this person may have the answers he seeks. So, instead of attacking directly, Zane used his ice power to freeze the roof floor up to the woman's feet, and also froze her feet in place. The woman looked down to her feet, and then looked towards Zane as he said,

"Look! I don't want to fight. Just listen-"

"I'm not allowed to talk to strangers!" She said, with some panic in her voice.

The woman broke through Zane's ice with her staff, and jumped back a few feet from Zane.

_'Well, I guess talking will have to wait,'_ Zane thought and readied his weapon, as the woman ran forth to attack him.

However, suddenly a Constrictai's tail whipped around, and seized the mysterious woman.

"Gotcha, finally! I had to sssneak away from that lightening brat, but it paid off," the Constrictai leader said.

The woman struggled, but to no avail. Zane was able to see where the Constrictai was trying to slither away to.

"Take this!" Zane shot a small ice beam at the Constrictai, which caused them to release it's prisoner.

Then Zane ran, jumped, and flying kicked the Constrictai while doing a back flip from the impact. The Constrictai went flying back and hit the floor, rendering it in a daze. Zane turned to the woman, who was trying to stand up from falling to the ground when the Serpentine had released her.

"Hey, are you- WAIT!" Zane yelled out, as the woman backed away to the edge of the roof, not realizing how close the edge was.

Her back leg then hit onto the roof's knee-high edge, while her arms waved frantically until she fell back over the edge.

Zane ran to grab her, but missed. The woman continued to fall, and Zane jumped down while using his ice sword to quickly form a blanket of snow and ice underneath the woman to break her fall. The woman landed on the ice, and Zane was able to land safely by wall kicking right before he hit the floor. He ran over to the unconscious woman, and, to his disappointment in himself, he noticed that part of the ice didn't reach her left leg.

_'I can safely assume that the trajectory of the fall and the impact with the floor will render her leg useless. I got to get her medical attention immediat-'_ Zane's thoughts were cut short when he noticed the person's head slightly turned to the side.

She wore a mask on her face that had fallen off her head, and revealed a face of a young female. Her hair was straight, black, and a little passed her shoulders, with a face that showed she was about Lloyd's age. Zane stared at the girl for a moment before encasing her leg in an ice cast, which could only be left for fifteen minutes so he had to act fast and bring her to the Bounty. He scooped up the lady in his arms, as the sound of hissing was heard. Zane looked around to see four Constrictai surrounding him.

_'Oh no, where's Jay? I shouldn't have left him,'_ Zane thought.

Then, as if on cue, a bolt of lightning flashed around Zane, and the Constrictai backed away a few feet, startled by the sudden light.

"I don't think so!" Jay appeared from the sky in front of Zane, sword in hand.

The Constrictai looked at Jay, then Zane, and then at the unconscious girl in Zane's arms.

"Hissss, we must get her back, now!" One of the Constrictai said, as they started walking towards the two ninja.

Then, out of nowhere maybe, a fire ball had strike the floor between the two ninja and the Constrictai. The flames stood it's ground, and the Constrictai began to back further away from it. Zane and Jay were surprised for a moment, but then they saw two ninja stand before them and they were relieved to see familiar faces.

"It looked like you guys needed some help," Cole was the first to speak.

"Whew, man. I mean, I could have handled them," Jay said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sure Jay," Kai said to him, sarcastically.

"Come on guys, let's take these snakes down," Cole said, as Kai's fire wall began to wilt and vanish all together.

The ninja were readying themselves to fight when they saw the Constrictai gathered together in a huddle, whispering. The ninja looked at each other in confusion, and when they turned back, the Constrictai looked at them, and then ran off through the streets. The ninja stood there, baffled, and then Zane cleared his throat and said,

"Well, um, let's get going then."

Kai turned around and said, " Uh... yeah, let's head back to the Bounty."

Kai noticed the lady in Zane's arms.

"Um, Zane, who's that?" Kai asked.

"Oh, um, I don't know who she is, but the Serpentine were trying to capture her. Her leg is most likely broken or fractured. We need to get her to the Bounty, before anymore Serpentine come."

"Why not bring her to a hospital?" Jay asked, and Cole replied,

"Well, if the Serpentine are after her, it's best not to leave her there or they may come for her again."

"Oh yeah, good point."

"Alright, let's bring her to the Bounty. Maybe we can find out why the Serpentine are after her," Kai said, and with that, the Ninja headed out to the Bounty, with the mysterious girl in Zane's arms.

Back on the Bounty, Wu, Garmadon, and Misako were tracking one of the signals of the Serpentine group that was nearby. Misako stood on the Bounty's deck looking overhead, and Garmadon and Sensei Wu walked out to the streets. As they walked forward, the streetlights that were ahead of them were breaking two by two, and then all the streetlights that surrounded the Bounty broke at the same time. Wu, Garmadon, and Misako were alarmed by this, but then readied themselves when they heard hissing in the darkness.

"Cowards! Why do you hide in the shadows?" Garmadon yelled out into the darkness, which made the hissing stop.

The general slithered forward and said, "We prefer to look at it assss/ Usssing the darknessss assss an aide/ You foolsss are/ In the way/ If you would be ssso kind assss to let us sssearch/ Your sshhip/ Then we will be on our way."

These Serpentine were Fangpyres, and the one who spoke had two heads. Garmadon and Wu nodded at each other, and Wu said,

"I'm sorry, but the Bounty is off limits, especially to snakes."

The Fangpyre hissed and was about to attack when a tune had echoed from their staff. The Fangpyre stood back and took what looked to be a walkie-talkie and started talking while their back was turned to Garmadon and Wu, who stared at each other in confusion. Then the Fangpyre turned around and while bowing said,

"Ssso ssssorry to have bothered you/ We have to go now/ Goodbye."

And with that, all the Fangpyres fled. Sensei Wu, Garmadon, and Misako signed, since they wouldn't have to fight, when a flash of light startled them.

"Hey guys, sorry if I'm late. Those Venomari sure know how to fight. I took care of them though." It was Nya.

She had to use her Samurai X suit's lights on the shoulders to see in the darkness without the streetlights. Wu and Garmadon returned to the Bounty, as Nya left her lights on so that the other guys could find their way back to the ship.

A few minutes past, and a lone ninja was walking towards the Bounty. He stepped on deck, and he looked a little worn out from running.

"Lloyd, your back. You look tired." Misako said as she stepped closer to her son, and he said,

"I'm fine mom, I just wanted to come back to make sure you were all okay."

However, Lloyd wasn't only worried about his family and friends. When spying upon the three Anacondrai he was following, Lloyd found out that none of those Anacondrai were Pythor, but the first one he saw was the one calling the shots. Lloyd was going to make his move, when a tune was heard, and the Anacondrai lifted up a walkie-talkie from their staff and spoke to another snake. As Lloyd listened, he heard that the Serpentine were looking for a girl and that the ninja had her in their custody. The Anacondrai took a moment to think before asking the snake on the 'phone' if the ninja were dangerous. The snake on the line said no, that the ninja were protecting her, so the Anacondrai told the snake to fall back, and she called all the other snakes with the 'phone' to do the same thing. Then the three Anacondrai went into an alley, and when Lloyd turned into that alley, the snakes were gone.

Lloyd's thoughts were cut short when the other four ninja arrived.

Jay, Kai, Cole, Zane, and... a girl?! Nya, Misako, Garmadon, and Wu looked at the girl in confusion, while Lloyd slowly recognized her.

"We found this girl trying to escape the Serpentine. They were trying to capture her for some reason," Jay explained, as Zane placed the girl on the floor since he was a bit tired from carrying her, while holding her head above the floor. The light from Nya's Samurai X suit shined to reveal the girl's face clearly. Lloyd's eyes widened, as a memory had reappeared before his eyes, and he said,

"Raven?"

Everyone turned to Lloyd's direction.

"You know her Lloyd?" Kai was the first to ask.

Lloyd replied, "Yes. I remember her from when I was young and used to go to my old boarding school. I was alone on the roof the day I met her. She came out of nowhere, and we just started talking. She was so nice to me, and we became friends. It's been so long since then."

"Well we've better get her inside. She looks pretty worn out," Nya said, as Zane picked up Raven and followed Nya into the Bounty.

The others wanted to follow, but Misako stopped them and said, "I agree with Nya. Raven looks very worn. She's going to need rest, even after she wakes up. It's best to leave her alone till she awakens."

The ninja looked at each other and nodded.

"Alright, let's head somewhere safe, just in case those Serpentine decide to come back," Garmadon said.

Then everyone started heading inside the Bounty.

Within the Bounty's infirmary, which is just a spare room they have, Zane had set Raven on the bed and was told to leave the room by Nya. After Zane had gone, Misako entered the room to help Nya with Raven's leg.

"Its a small fracture, her leg should heal in a few weeks though," Nya said, as she finished putting the cast on Raven's leg.

"Good. Let's leave her to rest," Misako said, and then she looked at Raven, and noticed a platinum-colored spear next to her bed.

"What's this?" Misako asked.

"Oh, Zane said that was the weapon she fought him with," Nya said.

Misako examined the glimmering spear. It had a candle-fire shape on each side of the staff. One side had a blue orb in the center, and had a longer candle-fire shape than the other side. It had carvings embedded on the pole part of the staff.

"Interesting. I've never seen a weapon like this. It's beautiful." -Misako

"It is isn't it. I wonder where she found it." -Nya

"We can ask her when she wakes up. Let's go," Misako said, and they exited Raven's room.

As Nya closed the door, Lloyd came by and said, "Is she going to be alright? How's her leg? Does she need anything?"

Misako put her hand on Lloyd's shoulder and said, "It's okay Lloyd. She's fine. Her leg has a small fracture, but it will heal as long as she has plenty of rest, which is what you need right now."

"But-" -Lloyd

"It's okay Lloyd. I'll check up on Raven occasionally, alright?" Nya said, to reassure the Golden/Green Ninja.

"Well, alright then. Night Nya, Night Mother."

"Goodnight son."

"Night Lloyd."

That night, everyone slept soundly, and Nya was able to bring the ship to a safe location outside of Ninjago city on a large rock structure. After Nya checked up on Raven one last time, she went to her room to sleep. Yet, even though everyone was fast asleep, one ninja found it difficult to ease the tension in his mind. After about an hour, the heaviness of sleep on his eyes had finally overcome his worried mind, and Lloyd fell asleep.

A long distance off from Ninjago city, a large group of Serpentine had joined together.

"What are we going to do?!"

"They took her!"

"We need to get her back home!"

"What are we going to tell her father-"

"Enough!"

The Serpentine became silent. The Anacondrai leader slithered forth in front of the army of Serpentine on a rock so that the Serpentine can see them.

"It's alright my fellow ssnakesss! Those ninja are not dangerous! I have recently dissscovered that thessse ninja are the sssame ninja who sssaved Ninjago from the Overlord!" -Leader

The other Serpentine were relieved by this.

"My friendsss, for now we will wait and rest. Raven is a ssstrong girl, which addsss on to her stubbornness. But I believe it bessst if she ssstays with the ninja for a while. I feel it will benefit her immensely if she sstays with them. Maybe then, she will come home..." -Leader

The other Serpentine spoke to each other, and then they agreed with their leader.

"If she needs usss, we will be there for her!" -Leader

The Serpentine all shouted "Yeah!"

The Hypnobrai general slithered towards the Anacondrai and asked, "Are you certain they will be able to help her Anaca?"

"I'm mossst certain Serpana, I feel it."

Light had begun to shine on the Serpentine as the sun rose from it's slumber. Each kind of Serpentine had their original colors of their type with pink colors added upon their designs. The human-looking Serpentine had short black and pink hair coming from their 'hats'. The pink on the other serpentine outlined the designs on each of them. Anaca the Anacondrai spoke up,

"Let usss prepare for the day my fellow Viporeons, who knows what it may bring..."

**Re-edited! These beginning chapters are going to be under construction. **


	2. Chapter 2

(A girl was walking up a road. She had been traveling around, but she couldn't find her way home.

_'Oh! I went too far off. How do I get home?' s_he thought.

This girl was very young, only a child. She continued on the road she was on, when she noticed a building up ahead. As she grew closer, she saw that the building was an all boy school, for bad boys.

_'Aw man, I can't go in there,'_ she thought.

She placed her hand on her stomach when it started to growl.

_'I'm so hungry. I need a place to rest. Hm... I could go on the roof, I bet no one goes up there. Then I can see where the road leads so I can go home! But first...'_

The girl pulled out a light blue, octagon-shaped gem from her pocket. She held the bottom of the gem, and twisted the top, which turned the gem to a red color. She pressed the gem together in her hand and a quick flash came from the gem. After the flash, the girl was now older.

_'Thank you, Gem of Ages. Now I can climb the roof easier, and if any adults see me they won't try to call my dad or something,'_ The older girl thought, as she pulled on her hood and quickly scaled the outside wall without being detected.

When she made it to the rooftop, she was relieved not to be spotted, but then froze when she saw that someone else was on the roof already. He was a young boy, as old as she was before she used the Gem of Ages. He wore black attire, with a black hood and a rib cage design on the front. The boy was looking down at the other kids who were outside since it was recess.

"Hmph, they think they're so evil. Well I'm the son of Lord Garmadon," The boy said, as he looked down at the others giving them the evil eye even if they didn't see him.

The older girl looked at the boy and she saw a little of his face.

_'He doesn't look so evil, even with that face,'_ she thought.

Then she pulled out an apple from the backpack she carried and walked a little closer to the boy.

"I'll show them..." The boy said.

"Well, I don't know if looking at them with the 'evil eye' is going to work."

The boy was alarmed by the sudden voice that came out of nowhere. He jumped back to see a person in a hood that covered their face, holding an apple.

"Whoa! Who are you?" The boy asked, trying to be brave, even though he was scared stiff.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I startled you," The girl said, as she took off her hood and revealed her face.

"My name is Raven, Raven Via Azure," she said.

The boy looked at Raven for a moment since his heart was still racing, and then replied,

"Lloyd, Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon."

Raven smiled and extended her apple towards Lloyd.

"Here, you look hungry."

Lloyd looked at the apple, then at Raven. He quickly snatched the apple from her hand. He removed his hood, and started to eat the apple.

"So..." Lloyd said, as he was eating the apple, "What is a girl doing here? I mean, this school _is_ boys only."

Raven sat down while putting her backpack on the floor next to her and spoke, "Well, I've been trying to find my way home. I got lost, so I came on the roof to rest a bit and see if I can find my way home from up here."

Raven stood up and looked around the roof, she saw a familiar road at one side of the school.

"I think that's where I should go, after I rest a bit first," Raven said, as she sat back down.

Lloyd then walked next to Raven and sat down across from her.

Then Raven said, "I hope you don't mind if I stay here a while, I'm kind of tired from walking all day."

Lloyd replied, "Eh, it's alright, I won't tell."

Lloyd finished off the apple and threw the remains off to the side.

Then Lloyd asked, "So, where are you from Raven?"

"I'm from out of town, pretty far from here at least."

Lloyd's eyes widened in interest, and said, "Really! How far? How is it outside? Are there lots of people? Um, -cough- I mean uh, yeah it must be boring out with all those goodie two shoe people."

Raven tilted her head to the side in suspicion, and said, "You know Lloyd, you don't have to act. No one's here to see you. You can be yourself. Don't worry, I won't tell."

Lloyd looked at Raven like 'What are you talking about?', but then he signed and said,

"It's hard to be myself when everyone expects me to be evil here just like my dad. I mean, I want to be just as evil and strong like him, but it's hard..."

"Lloyd, if you want to be like your dad, that's understandable, but you can't _be_ your dad. You can be the best and strongest by just being you," Raven said

Lloyd thought about this for a moment until Raven asked, "Hey, how long is recess?"

Lloyd replied, "It's about an hour, I've only been here for five minutes before you came."

Raven then opened her bag and pulled out another bag, and said, "Well, I have some candy and food if you want some, to pass the time."

Lloyd straightened up when he heard candy, and asked, "Really? You would share with me?"

Raven smiled and said, "Of course I will. We're friends right?"

Lloyd's heart skipped a beat for a moment when he heard her call him 'friend'. Lloyd smiled and replied,

"Yeah. We're friends!"

They both stood on the roof talking about candy, the sky, the birds, and about each others' parents, but briefly. Raven mostly spoke about her mom and Lloyd mostly spoke about his dad. After recess was over, Raven had to leave, and Lloyd had to head inside to class.

"Wait, Raven," Lloyd said, as Raven was getting ready to leave with her backpack on.

She turned to Lloyd and asked, "What's up?"

Lloyd looked down, then looked up at Raven and asked, "Will I see you again?"

Raven thought about this for a moment and then she said, "Don't worry Lloyd. I have to head home now and it's not that close here, but I'll tell you what. After I go home and talk to my father, I'll come right back here on the roof to see you, okay?"

Lloyd thought about this, and then he asked, "You promise?"

"I promise," Raven said.

Then she waved with a smile, and said, "Goodbye Lloyd, see ya later."

Lloyd also waved with a smile, and said, "Bye Raven, see ya later, too."

With that, Raven left and Lloyd went back to class. In about a week or so later, Lloyd was kicked out of the boarding school, and Raven went back only to find out that Lloyd wasn't there anymore. She searched, but she hasn't seen Lloyd since then.)

**Present time:**

The room was still and silent, other than the breathing of the sleeping girl. For a moment she stirred, and then her eyes shot open when she realized she was in an unfamiliar area. As she rose from the bed, she looked around the room, and saw that she was alone. When she twisted to a sitting position, her feet touched the floor, and a sharp pain shot up her left leg, as she yelped in pain. However, she put her hand over her mouth, and further examined her leg to see that it was in a cast.

_'Oh no, my leg. What happened... Wait, I remember...'_ She began to recall the night before, however, she only remembers falling backwards and everything going dark.

_'Where am I?'_ The girl stood up on her good leg and looked to her left to see her staff.

_'Oh good, my staff is here.'_ She picked up her staff from leaning against the wall, and used it as support to walk to the door and exit the room.

As she walked through the wooden hallway, she heard voices coming from one of the rooms. She limped slowly to the source, and peeked inside the room. This room was larger than the others, with a large computer system and a steering wheel.

_'This must be the main control room,'_ Raven thought, as she noticed the other people in the room.

She saw only six people from her view, four of them wore ninja attire, one of them was an older woman with a long, gray pony tail, and the other was an older man in black and purple attire.

_'Who are these people?'_ She thought.

Raven wanted to look for a little while longer, but she quickly hid her face when the white ninja turned in her direction.

_'Oh no, Have I been spotted?'_ Raven thought nervously.

_'I have to get out of here. Who knows what will happen if I'm caught snooping.'_ Raven quickly, but quietly, moved away from the room, and limped through the hall to find the exit.

However, she was in too much of a rush and stepped on her injured leg to keep balance. The pain that shot up her leg was worse than before, and Raven let out a yelp that was loud enough for everyone down the hall to hear. Raven put her hand on her mouth, and then started limping up to the deck when she heard voices and footsteps.

"What was that?" Kai said, as he stood up from his seat.

Misako replied, "Could that have been Raven?"

As everyone left the room, Zane said, "That sound didn't come from the direction of her room. She must be wondering the Bounty."

"Then she might be in danger," Lloyd said, as they all made their way to the Bounty's deck.

Raven was able to limp to the Bounty's deck before the others came.

_'It's a ship,'_ Raven concluded as she made her way to the left side of the deck and looked over the side.

Raven gasped as she saw Ninjago city a pretty long distance away. She also noticed that she was very high up, and saw that the ship was on a mountain-like structure.

_'How did this ship get way up here?!'_ Raven thought, but then she heard footsteps coming from within the Bounty.

_'Oh no, they're coming!'_ Raven thought, as her grip on her staff tightened.

Everyone was able to step on deck, and started to look around. Jay was the first to spot Raven, as he pointed towards her and said,

"There she is!"

Everyone looked in the direction Jay was pointing and saw an older girl wearing dark blue clothes, with a purple scarf around her neck and a cast upon her leg.

"Raven," Lloyd said, as he stepped forward, along with the others.

"Stay back!" Raven yelled out, as she hopped up on the edge of the Bounty that served to prevent anyone from falling off.

Kai spoke up, "Whoa, hold on, Raven let us-"

"How do you know my name?!" Raven cut in, while using her staff to balance on one foot, while the leg in the cast stood barely above the edge floor.

Then Cole spoke slowly and calmly, "Hey, hey, take it easy. We'll explain if you get down from there."

Raven thought about this and said, "Tell me first, then I might come down, but if you try anything, I'll jump."

She spoke with much confidence that made everyone nervous, even to breathe.

Lloyd broke the sudden silence, "Raven it's me, Lloyd. You know, from Darkly's Boarding School for Bad Boys, on the roof, we talked and hung out."

Raven thought for a moment while looking at Lloyd very intensely trying to remember his face. Then, the memory of a young boy came to Raven's mind, and she gasped when she saw the resemblance.

"L-Lloyd, is...is that really you? Your... your huge. I mean well bigger than before. So much older," Raven said in amazement.

Lloyd snickered at her astonishment and said, "Yeah, at lot has happened since we last saw each other."

Raven hopped down, carefully, off the edge back on deck, and limped up to Lloyd. She looked at his face more carefully to take in his new appearance. Then, out of nowhere, she hugged him and said,

"Oh Lloyd I was worried about you. I went back to Darkly's to see you and you weren't there. I went to look for you, but I never found you. I thought you turned to the dark side and wasn't coming back, or maybe something even worse happened. I'm so glad your okay, and..."

Raven stood back and looked at Lloyd and his attire.

"You... Your the Golden Green ninja! I heard the Golden Green ninja defeated the Overlord and saved Ninjago. I can't believe it. You became good! I'm so happy for you Lloyd."

Lloyd became a little bashful, but he spoke up and said, "Well, I've been though a lot, and it really had an impact on me. It changed the way I thought about things, and helped me to become the... Golden Green ninja."

Lloyd looked at the other ninja and Sensei Wu, and said,

"They really helped me find my destiny."

Raven also looked at the ninja, and then Jay went over to Lloyd and put his hand on Lloyd's shoulder and said, "Yeah, we taught him everything he knows, ya know."

Raven smiled at this, and then she said, "Really, um, uh..."

Then Lloyd realized that Raven doesn't know anyone besides himself.

He spoke up, "Oh that's right. I almost forgot to introduce everyone."

Lloyd stood besides Raven, and started to speak.

"Raven this is my mother and father." Garmadon and Misako stepped forward, and each shook Raven's hand as she did with theirs'.

"It is nice to meet you Raven." "Yes, it is." The Golden Spinjitsu Master's parents said.

Raven replied, "Likewise."

As Lloyd's parents stepped back, he continued, "This is Sensei Wu, my uncle, and Nya, Kai's sister."

Sensei Wu and Nya stepped forward and each shook Raven's hand as well.

"Hello Raven, you can call me Sensei if you wish."

"Okay" Raven replied.

"Hello Raven, it's nice to finally meet you," Nya said.

"Yes, nice to meet you as well," Raven said.

Then Lloyd continued on, "And these guys here are my masters; Jay, Kai, Cole, and Zane."

With that, the guys stepped forward and each shook Raven's hand.

"What's up," Jay said.

"How ya doing," Kai said.

"Nice to meet ya," Cole said.

"It's good to see that you are well," Zane was the last to speak.

Then Raven looked at Zane and tilted her head to the side, thinking. Then, she recognized his voice.

"Hey, wait..." She said. "Are you the guy I saw last night? You were following me?"

Zane replied, "Oh, um, yes I was, but I only wanted to help you from the Serpentine and you attacked me and then..."

Zane trailed off while rubbing the back of his head. Then Raven remembered her falling off the roof and said,

"Oh yeah... you saved me from that fall."

Zane looked up at Raven, and nodded his head.

"Yes, but, I couldn't save your leg, I'm sorry."

Raven looked down at her left leg and said, "It's okay, Zane, besides it's my fault. I should be apologizing to you for not listening, I'm sorry."

Zane replied, "It's quite alright. You were frightened is all. It's understandable."

Raven looked up at Zane and smiled, which made Zane smile back.

Then Kai spoke up, "Speaking of which, Raven, why _were_ the Serpentine after you in the first place?"

Raven realized what Kai was asking, and looked down at the floor, wondering if she should tell them.

She thought, _'Oh no. Should I tell them? But then they'll be asking more questions, and then I'll have to tell them that I'm...'_

Raven's thoughts were interrupted when Lloyd asked, "Raven? Are you alright?"

Raven snapped out of her thoughts, and replied, "Oh, um, I'm fine. And, uh, about the Serpentine, well um, they uh, were trying to bring me somewhere."

Jay asked, "Somewhere?"

"Where did they want to bring you?" Sensei Wu asked.

Raven became a bit nervous, and right when she was about to speak, a voice was heard,

"Zane, what are you doing up here?"

An older man had stepped up on deck.

"Father," Zane said, as he went up to the older man.

"Well, well, fancy seeing you all up here," Dr. Julien said, as the others gathered around their old friend.

"So you came up here to view the constellations?" Kai asked, and Dr. Julien replied,

"Yes, it's much better to view them from up here."

As everyone walked over to Zane's father, Raven started to limp over to see who this man was.

"But what are all of you doing way up here? Did something happen?" Dr. Julien asked, and Zane replied,

"Yes, apparently the Serpentine had invaded Ninjago last night. We needed to find a safe place to relocate after we sent them off."

"Oh my," Dr. Julien said, and Nya replied,

"Luckily, none of us got hurt. Well, maybe not _all_ of us."

As Nya finished her sentence, everyone made room for Raven to step forth.

"Oh, hello young lady. And who might you be?" Dr. Julien asked, as he shook Raven's hand.

"My name is Raven, and you are?"

"Oh, yes, I'm Julien, Dr. Julien."

Raven smiled before releasing his hand.

"Well it's nice to meet you Doctor." Raven said, and Dr. Julien smiled a little more wide.

Then Sensei Wu said, "We found her in Ninjago city. Apparently the Serpentine were trying to capture her."

Then Dr. Julien said, "Well that's not good. Why would the Serpentine want to capture you Raven?"

Raven was once again in the hot seat, but not for long. The alarm went off and started to ring. Everyone looked at each other and headed inside. Raven was limping when Lloyd took hold of her and said,

"Let me help you."

Raven smiled at Lloyd and said, "Thanks Lloyd," as they walked into the Bounty to the main control room.

"What's happening now?" Misako asked, as Nya started typing on the computer.

Then Nya replied, "It looks like the bank is being robbed."

Jay lifted his hands up in the air, "Aw man, that's the second time this week."

Then Cole said, "Well, crime doesn't give up so easily."

"Let's head over there real quick," Kai said, as the five ninja flipped their hoods over their faces.

As Nya steered the Bounty to Ninjago city, the ninja went on deck to await landing. Then they heard footsteps behind them, and turned to see Raven with her own ninja hood on her face. Kai stood in front of Raven, and asked,

"And where do you think your going?"

Raven replied, "I'm coming too."

Kai stood his ground as the ship landed and said, "I'm sorry Raven, but your in no condition to fight."

"But-" That was all Raven could muster before Cole said,

"Look Raven, you seem like the type who likes to jump in and help. I'm the same way, believe me I know. But if you really want to help, you have to stay here and rest your leg so that it can heal properly, okay?"

Raven turned her head and looked down sadly. Then Lloyd walked up to Raven and said,

"I'm sorry Raven, but you know it's for the best. I...We don't want you to get hurt again, alright?"

Raven thought about this while Jay commented Lloyd saying, "I see the student has become the master."

Then Raven looked up and nodded with a smile, "Okay, I'll stay here. Just hurry back okay? And be safe."

Lloyd replied, "Don't worry, we will. See ya later."

"See ya," Raven said, and with that, the ninja departed, leaving Raven to look after them as they sped off.

While heading to the bank that was a few yards ahead of them, Kai heard someone screaming for help in an alley on his right and stopped walking. Cole noticed this and turned towards Kai while the others continued walking.

"Kai what's going on-" Cole was cut off when Kai said,

"Go on I'll catch up."

Kai ran off to where the scream was coming from, while the rest of the ninja continued on inside the bank.

"Where is Kai?" Lloyd asked, when Cole entered the bank. Cole answered,

"He went into an alley just outside. Can you go check on Kai, Lloyd. We can handle the robbers."

With that, Lloyd went off in the direction Kai ran to. As the three ninja searched the bank, they noticed that none of the money was stolen, and only a few holes were in the walls.

"What kind of robbery is this?" Jay asked, as the three ninja continued searching the area.

Kai continued running down the alley, until he saw two guys in ski mask, and a woman surrounded by them.

"What's in the bag lady? Give it up!" One of the thugs said.

"No! Not in a million and one years!" The woman said boldly.

She had puffy black hair up to her waist in a low pink clip, and she wore black kimono-looking clothes with black pants and shoes. The woman also had a pink hand bag on her shoulder that she was gripping with her life.

"Alright, then we'll force that bag off of you," the other thug said, as they inched closer to the woman with their knives.

"HEY!" Kai called out, as he jumped in front of the woman with his fire sword.

One thug said, "Whoa man, Whoa, this doesn't involve you."

Kai looked at the men intensely, which made them back away.

"You guys are in serious trouble if you try to lay one hand on her," Kai said, bravely.

The men backed up more when they bumped into something. They turned and saw another ninja behind them, the Golden ninja.

"Going somewhere guys?" Lloyd asked the two men. The men dropped their weapons and put their hands in the air.

"The Golden Green Ninja! We surrender!" The other thug said, as the two men went on their knees and cringed in fear.

"That's what I thought." Lloyd said, as he nodded at Kai, and Kai returned the nod.

Then Kai turned to the woman and said, "Are you alright Miss?"

The woman straightened herself and said, "Oh yes I'm fine, thank you. My name is Marcell."

Then Kai replied, "I'm Kai."

He said in a low enough voice so that the thugs wouldn't hear him. Marcell also spoke in a low voice,

"Thank you Kai."

As the police put the two thugs in the police car, the ninja watched to make sure the men didn't try anything funny.

"Well, this was... interesting." Jay said, while rubbing the back of his head.

"This was just plain weird. I mean, they didn't even take anything. What's that about?" Cole wondered, and Kai said,

"Well so long as those guys are in jail. Come on, let's head back to the Bounty."

They all started heading towards the Bounty. While on the way, the ninja heard someone following them. When they turned around, they saw Marcell was following them.

Kai spoke first, "Marcell."

Then Jay said, slyly, "Is this a _friend_ of yours Kai?"

Kai looked at Jay seriously, and said, "I just met her, and I saved her from those two guys."

Then Marcell said, "Yes, and I am truly grateful for your assistance Kai, and I wish to assist you in anyway I can, since you saved me from those thugs."

Then Kai said, "Well, thank you for your offer, but we're fine. You should head home, you know."

Marcell looked at the ground, sadly, "I have no home at the moment. I just arrived at Ninjago city from an expedition, and I didn't have enough money to stay at a hotel..."

Marcell trailed off, still looking down. Kai thought about this, as well as the other ninja and they started feeling sorry for Marcell. They looked at each other, and all eyes rested on Kai. Then Kai signed, and said,

"Alright, you can come live on the Bounty until you find a home-Ah!"

Kai was cut off when Marcell hugged him and said, "Oh thank you soo much Kai."

After releasing Kai, Marcell said, "Don't worry I won't be a burden I promise, and for helping me, I think I know how I can help you guys."

Marcell then opened her bag and pulled out a pretty large orb that glowed a purple color with a diamond symbol on it. The ninja looked at the orb in amazement.

"What is that?" Zane asked, as he examined the glowing orb.

Marcell replied, "I will explain when we go to the 'Bounty' as you call it, but in short, this is the Viporeon pearl."

Back on the Bounty, Raven was tapping on the table with her hand as she waited for the boys to return. She was nervous, not that the guys were in danger, since they were ninja, but she was trying to find a way to explain why the snakes were after her.

_'What should I say? Will they accept me? Would Lloyd care to see me again? I don't know what to do?'_

Raven didn't notice that Nya had entered the room, and she noticed that Raven was troubled. Nya sat across from Raven with a puzzled look, and Raven looked up at Nya and realized she wasn't hiding her feelings too well.

"What's wrong Raven?" Nya asked with concern.

Raven signed, and realized that she couldn't hide it any longer.

"Nya, the Serpentine weren't trying to hurt me. They were trying to take me home, to my father," Raven said.

Nya looked at Raven in surprise, and asked, "Why is that?"

Then Raven cleared her throat and said, "Because, well, they aren't the normal Serpentine you know. They are called Viporeons. The _female_ Serpentine."

Now Nya was shocked by this, and she said, "That's why they seemed different than the regular Serpentine. But I never heard of them?"

Raven thought for a moment, and said, "Well, they separated from the male Serpentine long ago, so I guess that's why you've never heard of them. They were more peace-loving than their counterparts, and they decided to come together and live off on their own."

Nya thought about that, and said, "Wow, that's very interesting, but why are they trying to bring you home?"

Raven looked down. "I ran-"

"Nya, are you here?!" It was Kai's voice who cut off Raven's.

The guys entered the control room with their hoods off, and with another person behind them. Nya stood up and looked at Kai questionably before approaching the woman.

"Hey there, my name's Nya. Who are you?"

The woman looked at Nya and said, "My name's Marcell. Hiya."

Then Raven stood up and greeted the woman as well. "Hi, I'm Raven."

Marcell looked at Raven for a moment, and then said, "Hello Raven... it's nice to meet you."

As Marcell finished speaking, Sensei Wu, Garmadon, Misako, and Dr. Julien entered the control room.

"I see you all have returned, and... oh hello, who might you be?" Sensei Wu was referring to Marcell.

Then Jay spoke up, "Oh, this is Marcell. Marcell this is Sensei Wu, Garmadon his brother, Misako who is Garmadon's wife, and Dr. Julien."

Marcell said, "It's great to meet you all."

Then Misako asked, "It's nice to meet you too Marcell, but why have you come here?"

Before anyone could say anything, Marcell replied, "Well, Kai and Lloyd had saved me from some thugs who tried to rob me. I felt that I owed them for helping me, so I decided to come here and show you all this."

Marcell reached in her bag and pulled out the Viporeon pearl. Everyone was amazed at it's glittering beauty, and Raven was in shock.

_'Where did she find the pearl?'_ Raven thought.

"Intriguing, what is it?" Garmadon asked, as Marcell placed the pearl on the table and replied,

"It's called the Viporeon pearl. I found it when I went out on one of my exploits. It's said to have strange powers. Also, it's said that the pearl was entrusted to the Viporeons."

"The Vipor-what?" Jay asked and Marcell corrected,

"The Viporeons. They are a group of Serpentine. Well, they are the _females_ of the Serpentine."

Everyone gasped at that moment, except for Raven, Nya, and Marcell as she continued,

"Yes, legend has it that the Viporeons separated from the other Serpentine. The reason is unknown."

Before anyone could speak, Raven said,

"Actually, the Viporeons left because they preferred to live in peace and their counterparts were always fighting. So the Viporeons got together and left beyond the land where the other Serpentine lived."

Everyone looked at Raven in confusion and suspicion, except Marcell and Nya.

Then Sensei Wu said, "You seem to know a lot about the Viporeons, Raven. What else do you know?"

All eyes were on Raven, as she said, "The Viporeons traveled onward. However, they were growing tired and weak, when they were founded by another snake. They were scared of him at first, but then he revealed himself to them. They were in shocked as the Serpentine before them was actually the rare Black Mambian."

Everyone still was silent as Raven continued, "The Black Mambian is a rare serpentine that many people forgot even existed because there is only one, and he lives in secret. Also, the Black Mambian can transfer his power to another person by biting them, so that when he passes, the full power of the Black Mambian will be sent to that person. The Black Mambian took the Viporeons in and gave them a home to live in as long as they respected him. The Viporeons agreed and made the Black Mambian their king. The King of the Viporeons, the Black Mambian. The current Black Mambian is actually... my father."

Everyone's mouths dropped open, and they stared at Raven in astonishment.

Jay spoke up, "Whoa! Wait a minute, let me see if I got this... If the Black Mambian is your father, then doesn't that make you like, half Serpentine or something?"

Raven replied, "Well, part ssserpentine, I'm more human though sssince my dad issn't a full sserpentine, technically."

As Raven spoke, she revealed her snake-like tongue and fangs.

"My tongue and teeth was all I inherited from my dad. I try to hide it though."

After clearing her throat, Nya asked, "Why would you hide it?"

Then Raven said, "Because no one would ever accept me for who and what I am..."

Raven trailed off, thinking of the people who ran away when they saw her fangs or tongue. She almost started to cry, but she held the tears back, and said,

"I'm sssorry I didn't tell you guys sooner, especially you Lloyd. I wasss afraid you...wouldn't like me anymore, or accept me like many otherss, and... I-I should go."

Raven put her hand on her mouth, covering her fangs in shame, as she tried to limp out of the room.

As Raven started heading out, the four ninja stood in the way of the exit. Raven looked surprised at them, and then felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw that it was Lloyd's hand. Raven looked at Lloyd in surprise, and said,

"What are you doing?"

Lloyd thought before he spoke, and said, "Raven, you don't have to go."

Raven almost started to cry, but held back, and said, "B-But, I'm part ssserpentine. Why would you want sssomeone like me around? No one else did."

Lloyd looked around the room at his people, who nodded at him slightly. Then Lloyd turned to Raven, and said,

"It doesn't matter what you are, Raven. Even if you are part Serpentine, you're still my friend. Well, you're still our friend. Your not bad like the other Serpentine, and the Viporeons were probably worried about you. I think I know the reason why they left you with us now. It was because they knew that we were good, and that we wouldn't hurt you. They trusted us to take care of you, and that's what we're gonna do."

Raven looked at Lloyd, and then at everyone else in the room.

Then Cole said, "Your stuck with us kid."

"Yeah, you still need time to heal your leg." Nya said.

"And watch as I kick everyone's butt in video games." Jay said.

"And taste my cooking," Zane added.

"And maybe I can show you some fighting moves," Kai also added.

Then Sensei Wu stepped forward and said, "Well then it's settled. Raven, you are officially one of us, and you can stay as long as you'd like."

Raven was baffled at that moment. Then her surprised expression turned into a grateful one, as tears started to fall down her cheeks.

"T-Thank you, so much." Raven said as she hugged Sensei Wu since he was in reach in front of her.

Sensei was surprised at first, but then he put his hand on Raven's head.

After releasing Sensei Wu, Raven straightened, up and wiped the tears off her face.

"Wow, part Serpentine and human. That's amazing," Marcell said intrigued, as she stepped forward to look at Raven better.

Then Raven looked at the Viporeon pearl, and said, "Yes, and the Viporeon pearl belongs to my people, the Viporeons. Where did you find it Marcell?"

All eyes were on Marcell as she replied, "I was traveling around the lands outside this part of Ninjago, when I stumbled across another path that led downward. I was able to enter the passage, but I almost fell off a ledge a few times. There were a few traps, but I've dealt with traps and dungeons before. I found the lovely pearl on a pedestal and I took it. I wanted to study it further, so I started exploring the area, and I found, written on the walls, a legend about the Viporeons. I didn't realize the Viporeons still existed. I assumed that my taking of the pearl had attracted them to Ninjago city, but hearing your story, I guess they don't know it's missing. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take it."

Marcell took the pearl off the table and handed it to Raven.

"Since the Viporeons are your people, I think it's best to return it. Once again, I apologize." Marcell said, and Raven replied,

"It's okay, Marcell, you didn't know. Thank you for returning it."

Raven took the pearl and put it in her pocket.

"Well, since that's settled, Marcell, where do you live? We can drop you off." Nya said.

Then Zane replied, "Actually Nya, Marcell has no home at the moment, and little income. We figured that she should stay here for a while until she finds a job and decent housing."

Then Kai added, "If that's okay with you guys."

Everyone looked at one another and nodded in agreement as Sensei Wu said, "Yes, you can stay here for a while Marcell, until you find a home for yourself."

Marcell smiled widely and bowed while saying, "Thank you all so much, this means a lot to me."

The rest of the day was pretty normal. No crimes were committed, except to Jay when Raven beat him in his favorite video game. As evening turned to night, everyone was getting ready for bed, except two people who stood on deck. They were watching the stars as they appeared after the sun had set. Raven and Lloyd were just there talking, especially about how Jay reacted when he was defeated by Raven. They laughed about it.

"I know, he looked so upset. I should probably apologize," Raven said, and Lloyd replied,

"Ah don't sweat it, Raven. Jay will be alright, he bounces back pretty easily."

Then Raven said, "Like how he did in the game, but off the edge."

They both started laughing, and then Raven said, "It's so nice to be around you guys. You're all so awesome, and funny, especially you Lloyd."

Then Lloyd replied, "Yeah, you too Raven."

For a moment, Raven and Lloyd looked directly into each others' eyes. Raven smiled and Lloyd smiled back, but then he turned his head, troubled. Raven saw this and said,

"Lloyd? What's wrong?"

Lloyd stood quiet for a moment and thought, _'I've never felt this way around a girl before. But now that I'm older, and especially when I'm around Raven, I feel a soft, warm feeling in my chest. She hasn't been here too long, she's only been here for like a day, but this feeling for her I have is getting stronger the more time I spend with her. Do I...like...her?'_

Lloyd gave Raven a quick glance and he knew the answer to his question. Then he replied,

"Well, um, Raven, I...um_, 'Come on Lloyd, say it'_...I like you."

Raven thought about it, and then she said, "Well, I like you too Lloyd."

Then Lloyd said, "I mean, I like you a lot, Raven."

After a second, Raven caught on to what Lloyd was saying and her eyes widened.

"You do?" She asked surprised.

Lloyd answered, "Yes I do, but, I mean, I guess you would prefer someone who was your own age and more mature. You know not like me. I turned older from the Tomorrow's Tea so-"

Raven started to giggle. Lloyd noticed this and looked at Raven with one brow raised. Then Lloyd asked, "What's so funny?"

He looked at Raven pretty serious and confused. Raven then pulled out an octagon-shaped gem from around her neck and showed Lloyd while saying,

"Lloyd, I'm no older than you are. This gem here is called the Gem of Ages. It can make someone older or younger depending on it's settings. Red for older and blue..."

Raven turned the gem and made it turn light blue as she continued, "for younger."

Raven pressed the gem and a flash appeared that made Lloyd shield his eyes. When he looked at Raven, he saw a younger version of herself. Then Lloyd said in bewilderment,

"Wha, what, wow! That's amazing, you can actually turn younger and older?"

Then Raven said, "Yup, this is my original age, I turn older to hide my identity, and also if I need to do something that would be hard if I was a kid… or if adults try to look for my parents."

Then Raven turned the gem red and pressed the gem together, which let out another flash and turned her older again. Lloyd was amazed at the power of the gem. Then Raven said,

"So, you were saying Lloyd?"

She stepped closer to him smirking, as Lloyd blushed a little, and then they heard Jay yell out,

"Hey guys! It's time to go to sleep! Come on!"

With that, Lloyd and Raven quickly entered the Bounty together, and when Raven was in front of her room, she turned to Lloyd who was heading back to his room and said,

"Good night Lloyd."

Lloyd turned around and said, "Good night Raven."

As Raven entered her room and closed the door, Lloyd watched as she closed her door and then he headed into his room, which he shared with the ninja.

As everyone went to sleep, Raven was able to sneak into her room without startling Nya, since Nya was staying in Raven's room to watch her, and Marcell went with Misako in their own room. Garmadon, Dr. Julien, and Sensei Wu also shared a room, and the other ninja were all in their own room. Raven was able to set her staff down and lay in bed without waking Nya and fell asleep pretty easily.

However, one person was still awake. They sneaked out of their room and went over to Raven and Nya 's room. They stood near Raven's bed and thought,

_'This was easier than I thought. Those fools let me in so easily. Well, now I can kill two birds with one stone, by taking the Viporeon pearl back, and taking Raven with me.'_

Marcell slightly giggled, as she took Raven, along with her staff, and began exiting the Bounty corridors.

**My goodness! I finally got around to editing this chapter! Yeh!**


	3. Chapter 3

Marcell was able to slip through the corridors pretty easily, while carrying Raven and her staff. She made it to the Bounty's deck, and placed Raven on the floor, slowly, and the staff as well. After that she pulled out a pink cellphone from her pocket, and dialed a number. As Marcell started to speak, Raven woke up, but she stood still as Marcell said, "Hey, it's me, Marcell. Yeah yeah yeah, I know. Listen, I got the girl and the Viporeon pearl... Yes... I'm _that_ amazing I know I kno... Oh really... ok ok... don't worry Big Boss it'll be fine. Alright..."

Marcell continued her conversation, and Raven stood up while picking up her staff as quietly possible. Then Raven started banging her staff on the floor screaming out, "HELP ME! HELP!" Marcell immediately turned around and saw that Raven was up and about. "I'll call you back!" Marcell yelled on the phone, and hung up. "Come here you little big mouth!" Marcell ran and grabbed Raven while flinging her across the deck. Raven hit the floor, but she didn't get hurt much. Then Marcell started walking towards Raven, while saying, "Trying to wake the whole ship, eh? Well, it doesn't matter, they can't save you-" "Guess again!" Marcell was cut off when a sword of fire stood between herself and Raven. Marcell jumped back and saw not only the Fire ninja, but everyone else as well. _'Perfect.'_ Marcell thought as she straightened up and said, "Well, Well. Look who showed up. Hello everyone, wonderful night, eh?" Marcell grinned evilly. Then Sensei Wu asked very seriously, "What are you doing Marcell? Why are you trying to kidnap Raven?" Marcell snickered and said, "Did you really believe I just _found_ the Viporeon pearl? No, I stole it you fools! Straight from it's sanctuary, since the Viporeons weren't guarding it. I needed to find a reason to get on your ship, and apparently the pearl was the perfect reason, coincidently." Marcell stepped forward, and everyone was put on guard. "Don't take another step!" Cole yelled out, and Marcell froze for a moment. Then, she took another step and said, "Oops. What are you gonna do about it?" Marcell grinned eagerly, which angered Cole.

Cole ran forth and tried to strike Marcell. However, Marcell was able to dodge his slash by jumping over him, and then she back kicked him and sent him flying forward. "Cole!" Jay yelled out as he ran to attack Marcell with a lightening attack from his sword. Marcell grabbed Jay's wrist and was able to shoot the electric shot upward into the sky. Then Marcell grabbed Jay and tossed him in Cole's direction, which wasn't pleasant since Jay landed right into Cole. "AH!" Cole yelled out. "Sorry," Jay replied.

Then, Zane and Kai ran towards Marcell, who looked at them like 'Oh please.' Zane shot ice on the floor, while Kai shot fire in the air towards her. "Fire!" "Ice!" the two ninja yelled out. Yet, Marcell just smirked and suddenly disappeared. The two ninja looked around to see where she went. "Kai, Zane look UP!" Nya yelled out, but before both ninja could move, Marcell jumped down and attacked. She punched Kai in the face, kicked-swiped Zane's legs which left him in the air for a moment, grabbed Zane while spinning around, and threw him in Kai's direction. Kai went flying back with Zane as they hit the floor, hard.

Marcell then turned in Raven's direction, but ended up looking at Lloyd, who stood in front of Raven. Lloyd stood his ground as the dark borders appeared near his eyes and Marcell's eyes, as they had a stare down. Then, Lloyd shot out an energy ball at Marcell, which she ducked under and started running in Lloyd's direction. Lloyd readied another shot when Marcell stopped, flipped back a few times and then put her feet vertically on the center pole of the ship. Marcell pushed off the pole over Lloyd's head, and then she pulled out a stick hidden in her pocket, and smacked Lloyd in the back of the head with it. Lloyd became dazed for that moment, since it was a metal stick, but realized that he was in the air. Marcell picked up Lloyd and threw him in the direction of the pole she jumped off from, which Lloyd crashed right into, face first, and hit the floor. "Lloyd!" Sensei Wu, Misako, and Garmadon yelled out.

As Marcell turned to face Raven, Nya came in her Samurai X suit to fight Marcell. Marcell looked at the suit up and down and said, "Oh please, that piece of junk." That aggravated Nya. "Piece of junk?!" She yelled out and started to swing her arm at Marcell, when her robotic arm had fallen right on the floor. "Huh?" Nya said, as she used the other arm, and that arm fell off too. "What?" Nya said in shock. Marcell then started to laugh evilly, and said, "I suspected that suit would be a problem, so I removed some vital parts and got rid of them, sorry about that." Then Marcell jumped on the Samurai X suit and kicked it in the face which sent the suit falling back and Nya flying out. She landed on Kai and Zane, who were able to catch her.

Marcell turned her attention to Raven, and said, "Who else must suffer Raven? Why don't you come with me now, and I won't have to seriously damage your friends anymore, what do you say?" Raven thought about that, and she looked at everyone, seeing that they were a bit dazed. Raven signed, and said, "Ok Marcell, you win, I'll go-" "No Raven don't!" Marcell and Raven turned to see Lloyd standing there, with a bruise on his face. "Hahahahaha, what are you going to do boy?!" Marcell taunted Lloyd, but then felt a pain on her back and the wind in her hair, as she went flying across the deck, and into the railing. Everyone looked at Marcell, then they looked at Raven, and saw that she was holding her staff in a downward position. The blue orb on the staff was glowing. "Raven, that was you?" Misako asked, as she approached Raven, along with everyone else. Raven replied, "Yes, this weapon I'm using is not just any staff. It is the Platinum Staff of Raining Waters." Then Garmadon said, "So your elemental ability is water." Raven nodded, and Sensei Wu said, "Ah yes, now it makes sense. I can see the rivers of life that reside in you." "Raah!" Everyone turned when they saw Marcell standing, dripping wet from the water attack. "You little..." that's all Marcell was able to say when all the ninja ran and surrounded Marcell, as well as Wu, Garmadon, and Misako. Dr. Julien stood next to Raven, to try and protect her. Marcell looked at all those who surrounded her, and then she started to laugh. Each person looked at one another in confusion. Then Marcell spoke, while her eyes were closed and her head tilted downward with her arms bent and outward, "You guys won't give up, alright then, I'll go for now, but when we meet again..." Marcell raised her head and opened her eyes. Everyone was in shock by what they saw; Marcell's eyes were glowing a ring of red around her pupils, and her teeth had two fangs with a devious smile etched on her face, as she said, "It won't be as pleasant!" Everyone continued to look in shock, but then Marcell did a quick spin, using the momentum to hit the floor, which helped her to bounce up into the sky above the Bounty's look-out ledge, and then she went soaring into the night sky and faded from view.

Everyone looked on with their mouths wide open. Jay spoke up and said, "What the heck just happened?!" Then Cole said, "Is Marcell, a... v-vampire?" "I didn't think vampires even existed at all," Misako said. Then Garmadon said, "There seems to be much more going on than we thought." Sensei Wu responded, "Yes, there is." Sensei Wu turned to Raven, who was in complete shock as well. "Raven, do you know anything about what's going on?" Raven swallowed before she spoke, "I heard of stories of vampires, yet I never met or even saw one before. But, your right Cole, Marcell matched the description of a vampire perfectly." "Do you know why she wanted to kidnap you?" Kai finally asked. Raven looked down and said, "I don't know." Everyone started to think if Marcell gave any indication of her reason for attempting to kidnap Raven. Then Raven spoke up, "I have seen that technique before." "Which technique?" Lloyd asked, and Raven replied, "That spin, jump move. My friend's mother knows how to do that. She taught my mom how to do it." "Well, where is your friend's mother? She may be able to tell us more about Marcell," Sensei Wu asked. Raven pondered this for a moment, and then she said, "She doesn't live too far from here. It would probably take about one and a half days to get there from here." "Then let's head over there, and see if she knows anything," Nya said. "Well," Raven began, "You can't just show up at my friend's house. You have to sent a message prior to visiting, and I don't have a hawk to deliver the message." Then Zane said, "I think I have a solution." Zane extended his arm, and up from the sky came a falcon that landed on Zane's arm. " This is my falcon, he is also my friend. He can deliver the message." Raven smiled and said, while petting Falcon, "That's great, I'll send it now so that we can leave the day after tomorrow." "Good. Then we will have a day to prepare before we head off. For now, let's all rest. Who knows what tomorrow will bring," Sensei Wu said, as he walked back into the Bounty. Everyone else followed.

Zane, Raven, and Nya went into the main control room, while everyone else went to go to sleep. "Night Jay," Nya said, as she entered the room. "Hehe, Night Nya." Jay said, and then he watched Nya enter the main control room. Jay signed lovingly, as he walked into his room. The other guys were getting ready to sleep, but Lloyd was looking out the window, anxiously. "Hey Lloyd," Kai called, as Lloyd turned towards him. "You should get some sleep man. You need to save your strength for tomorrow," Kai said. Then Cole asked, "What's eating ya Lloyd?" Lloyd thought about it before he spoke, "Well, who knows if Marcell is still out there, and what if she tries to take Raven again? Or what if she's not alone?" "Well, we don't know if Marcell came alone or not, but we're not going to be of much help if we don't rest," Kai replied. "Yeah, and if Marcell does come back, we'll be ready for her," Cole added, and then Jay also added, "Besides, you saw what Raven did, even with an injured leg. She won't be taken without a fight." These words helped comfort Lloyd's distraught mind, and when he thought of how Raven fought back Marcell, he felt more relieved. Then Lloyd said, "You guys are right. Even if Marcell comes back, we'll be ready, and Raven will be ready too." Then the ninja went onto their beds to sleep.

In the main control room, Raven was writing the letter to send to her friend, and Nya was steering the ship to a new location, so that Marcell wouldn't find them so easily. After Raven finished writing the letter, she attached it to the Falcon's back. "So, who is your friend Raven?" Nya asked, as she landed the Bounty on a mountainous area not too far from Ninjago city. Raven replied, "Her name is Flare. She is the princess of the Volcanic lands. The 'Fire princess', I like to call her. She would always come over and hang out at my homeland, and I would visit her land too. It's always an adventure with Flare." Then Zane said, "She seems pretty nice." Raven giggled and said, "Flare _is_ nice, in her own way..." Zane and Nya looked at Raven questionably and then Raven said, "She is, well, unique." Then Raven looked on the map on the computer screen and pointed to a certain location. "This is where Flare lives, around here, above a volcano that used to be a volcano but is now just a little mountain since Flare's dad made it that way." "He did? How? Why?" Nya asked, and Raven replied, "The volcano erupted one time and threatened to destroy the land, until Flare's dad was able to stop it and make the volcano into a mountain. I'm not sure how he did it, but the people around the land called him the 'Lava prince' and he became their ruler. Then he built a kingdom on the mountain to watch over the Volcanic lands. He married Flare's mom after that." "Wow, that's pretty awesome." Nya said. Zane was able to program the Falcon to follow the coordinates to Flare's home. "I'll send him out," Zane said, as he walked out of the control room and headed to the deck. "Alright, it's time for us to go get some shut eye. We have to prepare the ship for when we leave," Nya said, as Raven nodded and they headed out to Nya's room, where Misako was waiting for the girls to arrive. Raven, Nya, and Misako decided to share a room, so that Misako and Nya can watch over Raven.

As everyone on the Bounty slept, there was someone beyond the Bounty's destination who stood outside Ninjago city. "I can't believe it. I was so close! All well, I have more tricks up my sleeves," Marcell spoke to another person who stood beside her. This woman had straight black hair that reached between her waist and shoulders, with a purple streak in the middle of her hair from the front to the back. Her clothes were a dark purple shirt with a white belt, and black pants with dark blue vertical stripes. "You seem to be very calm about the situation," the woman said. "Oh I have no reason to worry Violet. Raven is injured, so that just makes it easier to capture her. Of course underestimating her would be a mistake, but I have an idea, and it's pretty slick," Marcell said. When Marcell and Violet looked out towards the city, they saw five more people coming their way. "Ah my people have come," Marcell said, as she approached her people. "Now we can plan for tomorrow."

After the sun had risen, the ninja had also awakened since Sensei Wu woke them up. "Aw Sensei can't we sleep a little longer?" Kai asked, but Sensei replied, "No, you've had plenty of time to rest. Now we must stock up on supplies and ready the Bounty for tomorrow's departure. It's been awhile since we've traveled. Come on, we haven't a moment to lose." The ninja readied themselves, as did everyone else on the Bounty.

Nya was steering the ship back to Ninjago city, Misako and Garmadon were making a list of items needed for the Bounty, and the ninja were on deck with Sensei Wu, preparing for their trip through Ninjago city to gather supplies. Raven was also on deck with a sketch book and a paint brush, looking up a few times and then continuing to paint. Lloyd looked at Raven a few times, and at one point they made eye contact. Lloyd and Raven exchanged a smile, and then Raven went back to painting with a smile still planted on her face. Lloyd was still looking at Raven with a smile, and Sensei Wu noticed this, but he didn't say anything.

After the Bounty landed, Misako and Garmadon emerged from within the Bounty, and gave the ninja the lists of supplies needed for their departure the following day. The ninja then headed out to their destinations. Raven wanted to go, but she knew it was best to stay on the Bounty. She continued to paint the picture before her, while Sensei Wu went to meditate. Nya, Misako, and went to check on the Bounty's engines, while Garmadon stood on deck. He saw Raven was painting a picture, so he asked, "What are you painting Raven?" Raven looked up and said, "I'm painting a new picture for my wall. When I go traveling, I like to paint the places I've been to, and being in Ninjago city is perfect." Raven smiled and continued to paint, as Garmadon turned to look at the city. Then Garmadon said, "Thank you Raven." Raven looked at Garmadon questionably, as Garmadon continued, "Whatever conversation you had with Lloyd when you first met, I think that helped him follow his destiny, as the Green ninja and the Golden Spinjitsu master." Raven thought about that, and said, "But, I didn't do much. We just talked, I mean I _did_ tell him to be himself at one point but it wasn't much." Then Garmadon replied, "But by telling Lloyd to be himself, maybe that's why he accepted being the Green ninja so easily." "How do you figure?" Raven asked, politely. Garmadon replied, "When he saw your face, he immediately recognized you, if he hadn't kept you on his mind, and considered your words, he wouldn't have remembered you or what you said so easily huh?" Raven pondered this, and then she smiled, thinking about how Lloyd _did_ treasure the time they spent together, as she had. Garmadon saw this, and he smiled as well.

The ninja agreed to gather the supplies separately, and then meet at a rendezvous point not too far from the Bounty. After each one gathered the supplies on the list, which wasn't that much to carry it was just that the supplies were in separate parts of Ninjago city, the ninja gathered at the rendezvous point and checked to see if they had all the supplies. "I guess that's everything," Cole said, as he finished checking off the list. Then Kai said, "Good, then let's head back to the Bounty and-" "AAHH!" The ninja turned to see a young woman running into an alley, while two guys in ski mask chased her. "Get the bag!" One of the men shouted. "Hey wait," Lloyd said, and then Kai finished Lloyd's sentence, "Aren't those the two robbers from yesterday?" "How did they get out of prison?" Lloyd added. Then Jay said, "Um, guys, less talking more running. We have to help that girl." "Jay's right, let's help the girl and then we can sort things out," Zane said. The ninja ran into the alley, taking their supplies with them. When they traveled half-way through the alley, they left their supplies in a corner, and headed off to where the woman and the two robbers were. The ninja looked ahead and saw the young woman with light brown hair, a blue shirt and black pants, and the two robbers who had taken off their masks. "Listen girl," one robber said, "Give us the bag and we'll leave you-" "Not so fast guys!" The two robbers turned around, one had short black hair, the other had spiked brown hair like a mohawk, and each one wore all black. The robbers saw the ninja and turned toward them with smirks on their faces. The ninja were confused by this, but then they heard a voice behind them, "Not so fast ninja." The five ninja turned to see a woman with black hair and a purple strip from the front to the back, and two other people: one was a woman in black with short white hair up to her shoulders, and the other was a man in all black with blonde hair tied in a small pony tail and a short beard. "Who are you guys?" Jay asked. The woman with the purple and black hair spoke, "My name is Violet, General of the Vampire Elite under Marcell." The ninja's eyes widen and they all said at the same time, "Marcell?!" Then Violet responded, "Yes, and my orders are clear. Prepare yourselves ninja." The ninja gasped as they saw red rings on the eyes and fangs appear on Violet and the two people with her. Lloyd, Kai, and Zane stood looking at Violet and the two people, while Cole and Jay turned to the two robbers and saw that they too were in their vampire form. The ninja readied themselves, "Vampires versus Ninja. Come on guys, let's show these vampires what us ninja can do." Kai said, and the othher guys agreed.

The vampires started with the first attack. "Luna, Bronze attack, Stephen, Andrex up!" Violet shouted her commands as the vampires did as commanded. The ninja then proceeded with a counterattack. Kai and Zane shot ice and fire at the vampires running towards them, while Jay and Zane jumped up to attack the vampires who jumped. Violet watched as her vampire people and the ninja clash a number of times before realizing that the ninja were formidable opponents. Now the vampires stood in front of Violet, while the ninja stood in front of Lloyd, who was in front of the young woman, with both sides panting from their quick maneuvers and the hits each side received. Violet looked towards the young woman with a certain look, and the young woman understood. Red rings came across the woman's eyes, and her fangs were showing. The young vampire looked towards Lloyd, and ran forth to attack. Kai noticed this, and he pushed Lloyd out of the way. By doing so, the woman sunk her fangs into Kai's arm, which caused Kai to shout in pain. "Kai!" Lloyd shouted out, as the rest of the ninja turned towards Kai and gasped. The young vampire released Kai, and jumped over the ninja to her people. Kai fell on one knee, holding his bitten arm. The ninja gathered around Kai, but Violet shouted to her people, "Attack now!"

As the vampires ran toward the ninja, who were still distraught from Kai's injury, Lloyd stepped between the ninja and the vampires. "Enough!" Lloyd shouted, and he brought forth a large mass of golden energy that encased his body, and shot out a large wave of power that sent the vampires flying out through the alley and into the next alley across the street. The vampires, even Violet, were all sprawled out on the floor in pain. Then Violet slowly rose up, and said, "Let's go. We've done our part." With that, the vampires fled.

Back to the ninja, Lloyd stood his ground until he was certain that the vampires were no longer present. "Man Lloyd, I wouldn't want to mess with you on a bad day," Jay commented. Then Cole responded, "Jay, really. Now's not the time. We have to help Kai." Then Zane said, "Yes, if we stall any longer Kai may become..." The ninja looked at each other in worry as they realized what was going to befall their brother. "It's ok, guys. I'm, eh, I'm fine. Ah," Kai said, as he held his head. "Come on Kai, let's get you back to the Bounty. Sensei Wu might know what to do," Jay said, as he helped hoist Kai up on his shoulder. "Hey wait, didn't Raven say she heard stories of vampires, she might know how to help Kai too," Cole said, as he helped Jay hold Kai up on his other side. Lloyd and Zane grabbed the supplies, which were still in tack even after Lloyd's finishing move, and they set off to the Bounty as fast as they could run to find a way to save Kai.

On the Bounty, everyone stood on deck, waiting for the ninja to return. "They seem to be running late, do you think their alright?" Dr. Julien asked. "I'm sure they'll be alright," Misako said. Then Nya looked out and saw the ninja returning. "Hey guys, they made it ba-" Nya, at this point, noticed that Cole and Jay were carrying a half-conscience Kai. "Kai? Kai!" Nya called out, as she ran down the wooden ramp to her older brother. Everyone on deck followed Nya, even Raven, but she limped slowly down the ramp. Nya ran over to Kai, and said, "Kai, Kai! What happened to you?" Cole answered, "We ran into some of Marcell's vampires and the general." "Yeah. They cornered us, but we were able to fend them off, well Lloyd did most of the fending," Jay added, and Zane continued, saying, "One of the vampires caught us off guard, and they were able to bite Kai." "It's all my fault," Lloyd said, which made Raven stop in her tracks. Lloyd continued on, "I should have seen her coming. Kai pushed me out of the way. He saved me from getting bit. I should have known..." Misako put her hand on Lloyd's shoulder, "It's alright Lloyd. Those vampires are crafty, it's a miracle that you _all _weren't bitten or worse."

After Misako spoke, Kai began to stir, so Cole and Jay carried him on deck, and placed him next to the pole in the center. Then, Cole grabbed some rope, and tied Kai to the pole. "What are you doing?" Nya asked, while everyone gathered on deck, and then Cole replied, "Well, if he turns into a vampire, he might not be the same Kai we know." "Yes, he may be under Marcell's influence," Sensei Wu said, and then he turned to Raven, who was leaning on the Bounty's railing. "Raven, you said you heard stories about vampires. Is there anyway to help Kai before he transforms?" Sensei Wu asked her. Raven looked at Kai, and then she looked down and replied, "Kai is already a vampire." Everyone immediately turned towards Kai. They all gasped when they saw that Kai was awake, and that he had red rings around his eyes, fangs from his mouth, and slightly pale skin. "Wh-What's up guys?" Kai said, sort of weakly, as he looked at everyone on deck. "Kai?" Nya asked, as she approached her brother. "Nya? What's going on? Why am I tied? What happened to the vampires?" Kai asked. "Well Kai, um..." Nya hesitated to tell Kai that he was a vampire. "Are you ok Kai? You feel...different?" Cole asked, and Kai replied, "I'm fine, I feel pretty good actually. Why? What's going on? Ah, these ropes are so tight." Then Cole said, "Yeah, um, sorry about that. Here I'll loosen them." Cole went over to the ropes and started loosening them.

As Kai felt the ropes loosen, his eyes glowed even brighter. Garmadon noticed this and he tried to grab Kai, but Kai suddenly jumped up out of the ropes, and snarled at the others who slowly backed up. As Kai approached them, he said, "Give me Raven, or else." Everyone backed up even more. "Kai it's us," Jay said. "We're your friends," Zane added. "Oh I'm aware of that," Kai said with a sinister grin. "Then why are you doing this?" Lloyd asked, and Kai replied, "Because my master wants Raven, and I'll see to it that she gets her." "Kai, please, fight back! Marcell is not your master. Fight back!" Misako said. Kai stopped walking for a moment, then he continued with a bigger grin on his face, "Give her to me, and no one has to get hu-" WHACK! Everyone stood in shock as Kai hit the floor, unconscious. Garmadon stood above Kai, holding a wooden plank. "Well, there's no point in reasoning with him," he said. "Oh Kai!" Nya said, as she bent down next to her brother. "Bring him below deck to the brig, tie him as well," Sensei Wu said, with a heavy heart. "But Sensei-" Lloyd said, but was cut off by Sensei Wu, "We can't trust if Kai is on our side. You saw what just happened. We can't risk _all_ of us becoming vampires." Lloyd looked away in defeat. Cole, Zane, and Jay retied Kai and carried him to the brig, and Nya also followed them. "Poor Kai, he's really a vampire," Dr. Julien said, sadly. Then Misako turned to Raven and asked, "Raven, is there any way to turn Kai back to normal?" Raven replied, "Wolf tears." Then Sensei Wu asked, "Wolf tears?" Raven replied, "Around where Flare lives, there is a small lake that is said to hold the tears of wolves who would howl upon the rock edge above it during a full moon. This water is said to be special because it has the ability to turn a new vampire back into a human. However, the person who was bitten has three days to drink the Wolf tears, or they will stay a vampire, permanently." Then Dr. Julien said, "That gives us just enough time to travel to where your friend lives, and save Kai from permanently becoming a vampire." Then Sensei Wu said, "Then let's hurry and prepare the Bounty for tomorrow's departure."

As Garmadon, Misako, Wu, and Dr. Julien entered the Bounty, Lloyd stopped and turned to see Raven was still standing near the Bounty's railing, looking down. Lloyd approached Raven and asked, "What's wrong Raven? We have to get ready for tomorrow." Raven looked up at Lloyd, and said, "I'm so sorry." Tears started to form on Raven's eyes, as Lloyd looked at her in surprise. Then he asked, "What are you sorry about Raven?" "It's my fault Kai became a vampire!" Raven exclaimed with hurt in her eyes. She continued as Lloyd became silent, "If I wasn't here, you guys wouldn't be part of whatever this is! You guys are in danger because of me! I should have just left with Marcell-" Lloyd took hold of Raven by her shoulders, firmly, as Raven looked at him in surprise. Then Lloyd said, "It's not your fault Raven. If it's anyone's fault, it's Marcell. She's the one who wants to take you, and I won't let her! None of us will let her get you Raven. We care too much for you to let her even touch a hair on your head. I promise I will always protect you Raven, no matter what, and I can say the same for the others as well." Raven sniffled and said, "I-I don't want you to get hurt either." Then Lloyd said, "Hey, don't worry about me. You focus on healing your leg, and we'll handle the rest, alright?" Raven looked to the side for a moment, then she straightened up and wiped the tears off her face. "Ok -sniffle- Thank you Lloyd." Lloyd gave Raven a soft smile and said, "Your welcome. Come on, let's get inside." "Ok," Raven said, and they both entered the Bounty.

Below deck, in the brig, the ninja and Nya placed Kai within the cell and locked it. Kai was laying still on the ground. "Poor Kai," Nya said, sadly, as she placed her hand on the bars. "Yeah, who would've thought he turned into a vampire and try to attack us-" Cole said, as Jay elbowed him in the stomach. "Ow! What was that for?" "Cole, come on Nya.." "And when did _you_ stop making comments about everything, huh?" Cole eyed Jay, and Jay turned to Nya, and said, "Come on Nya, let's leave Kai alone for a while. Maybe he'll feel better if he's alone." "Actually, even if Kai is left unattended he may not- oof" Zane was cut off by Cole elbowing him in the stomach. Nya signed and said, "Ok, let's go." With that, Nya and the ninja left Kai all alone.

After they were certainly gone, Kai's eyes shot open. He sat up and looked out to make sure the coast was clear. Then he said out loud, but not for anyone to here, "We'll see how long you guys can stay away. After all, I might get better sooner than they think, or not at all!" Kai started to laugh evilly, but quietly. The rest of the people on the Bounty went to sleep, while Kai stood up looking at the sky from where the brig ceiling meets the deck floor. He started to grin darkly, as light from the sun rise began to enter the small gated opening of the brig ceiling.


	4. Chapter 4 The Journey Begins

**For now I will try to give each chapter a title. If I can think of one. ;)**

Early in the morning, Sensei woke up the ninja to pick up extra supplies he had forgotten to pick up the day before because of Kai becoming a vampire and all. Also, one of the ninja had to give Kai his breakfast. Jay was forced to volunteer, and he also wanted to assure Nya that Kai was alright, even though he wasn't sure himself. As he carried the food down to the brig, Jay had a lot on his mind, _'Oh man, what if Kai is still bad? What if he tries to bite me if I turn my back? What if he tries to hypnotize me with his, uh, Vampire Vision... oh man. I think I'm getting too worked up, maybe he isn't so bad. Maybe Kai is ok, right?'_

As Jay closed the door behind him, he saw that Kai was sitting up looking at the floor. As Jay approached him, Kai looked up and his face was normal except for the slight paleness. He smiled, and said, "Morning Jay." Then Jay said, "Oh, um, morning Kai. How ya feeling?" Kai looked down at his restraints, and then he looked back up at Jay and said, "Eh, I've been better." Jay smiled, and then he slid the food tray under the bars where there was an opening to serve food. "I brought you some breakfast," Jay said. Kai looked at the food, and said, "It looks great, but uh, I have no arm to eat with. Can you at least loosen my one arm so that I can eat?" Jay pondered this, _'Oh man, I mean, I'm only untying one arm right?'_ "Jay," Kai said, which made Jay look at him, and he added, "I won't escape, I promise. I'm just really hungry." Jay took that into consideration before opening the cell door and entering. He walked up to Kai, and loosened Kai's right arm. "Thanks Jay, I owe a one," Kai said, and Jay replied, "No problem." Then Kai reached out and started eating his breakfast.

After he was done, Jay picked up Kai's food tray and asked, "So, how was it?" Kai hesitated. and then he said, "It was pretty good, but there was one thing missing..." Jay looked at Kai questionably and asked, "What?" Right when Jay opened his mouth, Kai tore off the ropes with his free arm, and kicked Jay out of the cell. Jay hit the floor and sat up coughing a bit before saying, "You p-promised you wouldn't e-escape!" Kai walked up to Jay with a dark smirk, and said, "Don't worry Jay, I won't escape. No, I have a better idea." Kai showed his fangs and Jay tried to crawl backwards away from Kai. Then, a rumbling sound was heard and WHAM! Kai went flying back and hit into the cell bars, not inside the cell, just outside. Jay stood up and looked to see Cole standing in front of him. "Cole? What are you doing here?" Jay asked, confused. Cole replied, "I thought I should check up on you, and man was I right." Kai stood up, rubbing the back of his head and walking up to Cole and Jay slowly. "Stay back Kai! I don't want to hurt you!" Cole shouted, and then Kai rushed up to Cole, picked him up and flung him into the cell. Right after that, Kai grabbed Jay and also flung him into the cell with Cole.

As both ninja stood up from being dazed, they heard a lock click. When they looked up, Kai was in the cell with them, but he locked the cell door. Cole and Jay became terrified, when Kai turned around with red rings on his eyes, fangs sharp, and grinning darkly. "Now, let's get down to business gentlemen," Kai said, and he ran and jumped towards the two ninja. Cole was able to dodge, but when he looked, he saw that Jay was too petrified to move. "Jay! Move!" Cole shouted. Jay was able to move at the last second, but then he started to shout out in pain as Kai's fangs bit his left shoulder. "NOO!" Cole shouted as Jay hit the floor, cringing. "Now it's your turn," Kai said darkly, as he turned towards Cole. Cole was afraid, but then he shaked it off as he readied himself for a fight. Kai smirked before charging at Cole with all his might. Cole was able to dodge Kai by jumping over him. Then he pulled out his Earth sword and slashed at Kai's direction with an Earth attack that sent Kai straight at the cell wall. Dust was all around Kai, as Cole ran to the cell door to try and unlock it. Cole started to hear heavy breathing and when he looked to his right, Jay was standing their holding his shoulder with red ringed eyes, and white fangs. Cole backed away a little from Jay and said, "Jay, not you too." Then Jay smirked and said, "Not just me..." Then, out of nowhere, Kai grabbed a hold of Cole and bit his right shoulder.

As Cole went on his knees, Jay continued, "But us three. Hahaha! That rhymed! Not just me, but us three! Ha, I crack myself up-" "Quiet Jay," Kai said, as he walked to his loud-mouthed friend and said, "We don't want anyone else to come down here." Then Kai went up to the cell door and unlocked it. "Well then, what are we gonna do? And what about Raven?" Jay asked, and then Kai said, "Well, since you two are now vampires my plan maybe easier to execute." Kai turned to Jay and said, "Ok get this, your a vampire and so is Cole, now I was thinking that the only way we could get Raven is if we turn whoever Raven is mostly around into vampires. You know, it would be easier not to look suspicious if we only get those people. Then, they can deliver Raven to Marcell, and we can fend off whoever stands in the way." Jay thought about this, then he said, "Well, who is usually around Raven?" "Nya and Lloyd." Kai and Jay turned to see that Cole was the one who spoke, and that he was standing with red ringed eyes and fangs. "Well, look who decided to wake up, Good morning Cole," Jay said jokingly. Then Cole said, "Yeah yeah, anyway, I know that Raven spends most of her time with Nya and Lloyd, considering that Nya takes care of her leg, and Lloyd _is_ her friend." "Exactly. So all you guys need to do is turn Nya and Lloyd into vampires and we'll be able to get Raven without causing much trouble," Kai said. Then Jay said, "What about you Kai?" Cole replied, "Well duh, Kai is suppose to be locked up. If he's free that would be way too suspicious now wouldn't it?" Jay replied, "Oh yeah, hehe, that makes sense." "Alright," Kai said, "Now hurry up before the others suspect something. Oh and Jay, make sure Nya comes here to give me food whenever you change her alright?" Kai asked, as Cole started to retie Kai. "Alright, alright then. Let's go Cole," Jay said, and Cole replied, "Alright, later Kai." "Later." With that, Cole and Jay left, and Kai was left in his prison cell, grinning.

Outside, Sensei Wu had just walked on deck when Cole and Jay came from the brig. Nya, Zane, and Lloyd were with Sensei Wu, and when Cole and Jay arrived, they were hiding their vampire forms as Marcell had. Sensei Wu began, "Now, since we are all together, It's time for some final errands; Jay and Nya, check the Bounty to make sure we are ready for departure, Cole, Zane, and Lloyd, there is a few boxes I've been expecting from the post office, bring the boxes back here. Tell them that I sent you." Sensei Wu said as he added, "Now, if anyone needs me, I'll be meditating." With that, everyone headed to their destinations.

Jay and Nya headed to the main engine room. It was more isolated from the others on the ship, which was a perfect opportunity for Jay. As they were about to enter the room, Jay held open the door for Nya and said, "After you my dear." Nya smiled at Jay and while walking in replied, "Why thank you Jay." After entering the engine room, Nya headed straight to the fuses and stuff, while Jay quietly locked the door. With Nya's back turned, Jay slowly crept over to Nya while saying, "So Nya, How've you been? You know, after what happened yesterday and such." Nya frowned, thinking about what happened to Kai, "I've been ok, the sooner we get to Flare's homeland the better. Than Kai can go back to his old self, like Raven said last night." Then Jay said, while still creeping towards Nya, "Well, I saw Kai today, and he looks a little better." Nya stood up and turned to look at Jay, but was overwelmed with shock from seeing red ringed eyes and white fangs. "Why don't you see him, yourself!" Jay said as he lunged forth at Nya, only to be kicked right in the gut.

As Jay groaned in pain holding his gut, Nya ran to the exit door, only to find it locked. As Nya turned and pushed the door with all her might, Jay stood up, holding a key in his hand. "Looking for this?" Jay asked with a smirk. Nya saw the key in Jay's hand and she pressed her back against the door, trying to think of a quick way to get the key from him. Then Nya saw a metal pipe randomly laying on the floor near her. She quickly did a cartwheel, grabbed the pipe and threw it in Jay's direction. As Jay dodged the pipe, Nya ran and tackled Jay on the floor, which made him drop the key. Nya did a front flip and grabbed the key, but right when she was making a break for the door, she felt a hand grab her wrist. She was about to punch him, when she suddenly spinned around and ended up dipped right in Jay's arm while Jay held the key in his other hand. Nya was about to fight, when Jay kissed her. It was a sweet and lovely kiss that caught Nya by surprise. Nya knew she had to fight, but she didn't, she couldn't. She was too mesmerized by Jay's manuveur and she kissed him back. Then after the kiss broke, Nya screamed as Jay's fangs sank into her neck.

Zane, Cole, and Lloyd went to the post office and picked up the boxes Sensei Wu sent them to get. As they were heading back to the Bounty, Cole was trying to think of a way to get Lloyd without Zane knowing about it. _'What do I do? How can I get him alone...wait I got it!'_ Cole thought. Then, as the three ninja walked by an alley, Lloyd being closest to the alley and Zane farthest, Cole went and shoved Lloyd right into the alley when Lloyd just turned his head opposite of Cole's direction. Then Cole pulled out his Earth sword while throwing the box he carried in the air, and hit Zane right in his back, which sent him flying forward. Lloyd was trying to get up, and Zane was about to get up, then Cole hit Lloyd with an Earth shot that sent Lloyd farther into the alley. Then Cole ran up to Zane and knocked the ice ninja out cold. (No pun intended, it just happens) Cole turned to go into the alley, but then hid himself when he saw that Lloyd wasn't alone. There was one other person in the alley and two others sitting on the floor. Lloyd lifted himself up, and saw that the one standing up was bullying the other two people into giving him all their money and jewelry. Lloyd stood up and spin jitsued the guy up into the air, and flung him to the other side of the alley where Cole was hiding. The two people, a husband and wife, ran up to Lloyd and started shaking his hand and hugging him for saving them, while asking for an autograph. While Lloyd was distracted, the thief stood up and saw Cole hiding behind a garbage can. Before the thief said anything to blow Cole's cover, Cole snarled at the man, showing his fangs and red eyes. The thief went silent in fear, and scurried out of the alley like a roach when the lights go on. Cole was annoyed at this point because he couldn't get Lloyd without those people causing a ruckus, and Zane should be waking up soon. So Cole aborted his mission and ran to where Zane was.

Cole ruffled up his clothes and tore a little off his sleeve. Then, as Lloyd came back, Cole knelt next to Zane and said, "Aw man Zane, if only Lloyd was here..." Lloyd ran up to Cole and Zane, bringing the box he dropped in the alley when he went flying. "What happened Cole?!" Lloyd asked, as Cole looked at Lloyd weakly and said, "The vampires, they attacked like crazy after one of them hit you into the alley. Zane was knocked unconscious, and I was able to fend them off since there was only two of them, but Zane isn't looking to good." Cole smirked in his mind when he saw Lloyd believe what he told him. "Then let's get to the Bounty quickly," Lloyd said, as he put Zane's arm on his shoulder and picked him up, while Cole grabbed the other two boxes.

Back on the Bounty, Jay stood in the engine room with the door open looking to see if someone was coming, when he heard shifting in the room. When he turned around, he saw Nya standing up with red ringed eyes and fangs. "Nya, your awake, and you look great," Jay said. "Jay, w-what's going on?" Nya asked, holding her head. Then Jay explained how Cole and himself were turned into vampires by Kai, and now they needed to find a way to capture Raven by turning Lloyd and Nya into vampires. "Does that make sense?" Jay asked, and then Nya replied, "It's...perfect. When are we going through with this?" "I'm not sure, we'll see when Cole comes back. Also, Kai wanted to see you whenever you became a vampire, so you should head over to the brig at dinner alright?" Jay said, and Nya agreed.

After Jay exited the engine room, which left Nya alone for a little while, she frowned and thought, _'I may be a vampire, but I don't want to help Marcell capture Raven. Apparently, Kai, Cole, and Jay can't resist following Marcell's influence... but, why can I?'_ Nya's thoughts were cut short when Jay called out to her. Nya straightened herself and hid her vampire appearance to her normal one besides the slight paleness of her skin. _'Well, I'll have to find a way to stop them without any of them suspecting anything,' _Nya thought, as she exited the engine room and went with Jay to the deck.

Aboard the deck, Lloyd, Zane, and Cole returned from their errand. "What happened?" Misako asked, as the three ninja came on deck. "A vampire attack," Lloyd said, as he brought Zane over and set him down in a sitting-position near the rails. "Did anyone get bit?" Garmadon asked. "No, no one got bit, I made sure of that," Cole said after placing the boxes down. "What happened to Zane?" Raven asked, as she looked at the Nindroid in concern. "They knocked him out before he had a chance to attack, but don't worry he's not hurt," Cole said, as Jay and Nya approached their friends. "Wait, could Zane even turn into a vampire? I mean he's a nindroid after all," Jay asked. Jay looked at Cole with triumph for a moment, and Cole looked at Jay in defeat. No one else noticed because they were worried about Zane. "I don't think that's possible, considering that my son _is_ a Nindroid, unless vampire venom is related to fangpyre venom," Dr. Julien said, and then Raven said, "Well, unfortunately, vampire venom is like fangpyre venom, so it's possible Zane could become a vampire even if he's a nindroid... wait, what?" Raven was confused by the fact that Zane was a nindroid, as Lloyd pulled Raven to the side to explain what a nindroid was.

Zane began to stir and he stood up, holding the back of his head. "What, hap-happened to me?" Zane asked, clearly confused. "The vampires attacked Zane, you don't remember?" Cole asked so that he covered himself. Then Zane said, "I only remember being hit in the back twice and then everything faded to black." Cole smirked in his mind. _'Yes, he doesn't know,'_ Cole thought. "Well son, let's see if there's any serious damage," Dr. Julien said, as he lead Zane into the Bounty. "It's time to go, Nya let's head off to our destination before any more trouble starts," Sensei Wu said, and Nya replied, "Aye aye Sensei," and then she entered the Bounty.

After everyone else entered the Bounty, Jay and Cole stood behind. "You didn't get Lloyd?!" Jay asked in a moderately low voice. "Hey I tried, but things didn't work out. I'll get him next time," Cole said in the same moderately low voice. "Well we have to hurry before heading to the Volcanic lands. They might turn Kai back into a human right when we get there!" Jay said. "I know, but it's too risky now. I might have to wait until we actually get there," Cole said, and with that, the two ninja entered the Bounty as the ship hovered upward and began to move forth to the Volcanic lands.

As the day passed, Cole couldn't get a chance to bite Lloyd so he gave up until they landed on the Volcanic lands. _'I might have a better opportunity there,'_ Cole thought.

Later on, Nya went down to the brig to give Kai his dinner. "Hey sis," Kai said, friendly. "Hey bro," Nya said, as she slid the tray of food into the cell. "So, Nya-" Kai was cut off when Nya said, "It's alright Kai, I know what's going on, Jay made it very clear." Nya showed Kai her fangs. "Oh, well that's good," Kai said, as he unraveled himself from his restraints and started eating his dinner. "Kai," Nya said, and Kai looked up, "Yeah?" Then Nya continued, "Well, I was wondering... we're vampires now, so why should we obey Marcell's _every_ command, I mean we should just do what we want instead of Marcell's bidding, right." Kai felt something in his mind stir, as he stood up and walked over to his sister with a straight face, "Nya, we have a job to do. Whether we want to or not, Marcell is our master now, so we _have _to obey her. What's the matter? Do you feel bad about it?" Kai tilted his head to the side, suspicion starting to crawl into his eyes. "No, don't be silly Kai, I was just making a suggestion is all. I mean, I want to... be wild and free. These vampire powers are just awesome," Nya said, trying to sound truthful to Kai and not blow her cover. It worked, and Kai went and started eating his food again, as he said, "Eh, I feel the same way, you know, since I'm in prison. But Marcell is in charge, and we have our orders," Kai said, as he finished eating and rewrapped himself in his restraints. Nya took out the tray and said, "Yeah, orders. Night Kai." "Night Nya." With that, Nya walked out of the brig, but she muttered under her breath, "I have to save them before it's too late."

As Nya walked on deck, a figure walked by and went to the brigs without being spotted by her. Kai was just sitting down looking up as the sun set, even though he couldn't see it clearly. Then Kai sensed someone in the room. "Who's there?" Kai called out. "It's me Kai," a voice said, as a figure stepped forward into the dim light of the room. It was Garmadon. "Garmadon. What are you doing here?" Kai said calmly, even though he was nervous. "I want to talk to you," Garmadon began, "Kai you have to fight this." Kai looked at Garmadon annoyed. Then Garmadon spoke a little louder, "I'm serious Kai! You have to fight being a vampire. Marcell does not have control over you! You have to take control of yourself." Then Kai said, "What does it matter to you what I do? I follow Marcell because I want to." Garmadon countered, "No you don't Kai. I've been talking to Raven more lately, and she said that there are those who when bitten by a vampire, become loyal to that vampire's leader, or Marcell in this case. She is forcing your allegiance to her own plans. Kai please, fight it." Kai looked away from Garmadon, and then he said, "Don't waste your time with me Garmadon." Garmadon looked down and, as he was walking away, and he turned back to Kai and said, "Kai, I know how it is. You feel like you have no choice, but I'll tell you this. You_do _have a choice, it's not too late Kai. I believe in you, as everyone else does." Then Garmadon left Kai alone. As he thought about Garmadon's words before falling asleep.

The next day everyone woke up pretty later than usual. "I thought Sensei would wake us up sooner?" Jay said, as he got up from his bed, and covered his face with his pillow to hide his fangs that he forgot he had for that moment. "I thought so too," Zane said, as he also rose from his bed. "You think something happened?" Lloyd asked, as he finished brushing his teeth. "Let's go find out," Cole said. He was already awake, he was just being lazy at the moment.

However, Sensei Wu was indeed awake, but something had caught his attention, that left him nervous...


	5. Chapter 5 Volcanic Kingdom

**I'm dividing the Chapters so that each one isn't so long. I think it would be easier to read at one time. Enjoy.**

In Sensei's room, Garmadon and Dr. Julien were sleeping in their own beds, while Sensei Wu was wide awake. He had a dream-vision last night, and it startled him because he didn't understand it: There was a candle lit in the center of a room. It was very small, but then it started to grow bigger and brighter. Then he saw Lloyd and Raven in a lit up ballroom, and they were dancing together, waltzing. After that, Wu saw Raven backed up against a wall as a darkness creeped towards her, while she screamed out, "STAY AWAY FROM ME!" The last part of the vision was of Raven laying on the floor unconscious, and Lloyd standing in front of her, protectively, against a hooded figure surrounded by darkness. Then the hooded figure pulled out what looked to be the Viporeon pearl, but the pearl was a pale purple and it wasn't glowing. Sensei Wu woke up from this vision, and he was shocked by how real it felt. He couldn't sleep after that, and he was too alarmed by it to realize the time.

After everyone rose from their slumber, they decided to meet on the deck. Raven was already there with Misako, excited. Then the four ninja gathered around as well as Garmadon, Wu, Dr. Julien, and Nya. "We're almost there. I'm so excited to see Flare again. It's been a while since I last saw her," Raven said. "And I'm sure Flare must be very eager to see you too Raven," Misako said. "So, how long until we reach the Volcanic lands?" Jay asked. Raven studied the area they were flying over, which had started to change from forest to water. "We should be there by the afternoon," Raven replied. "Good, the sooner we help Kai and find out more information about Marcell the better," Sensei Wu said. However, Sensei Wu was still troubled by his vision, which no one noticed besides Garmadon. "That would be great to see Kai back to his old self, right Nya?" Misako asked, as she looked at Nya. "Oh yeah, I hope we get there soon," Nya said, trying not to sound suspicious. Then a horn was heard in the sky. Everyone readied themselves, except Raven. "What was that?" Lloyd asked. "Already?" Raven said.

Everyone looked at Raven, and they saw what looked to be a flying ship right next to the Bounty. The unknown aircraft shot out a bridge that connected to the Bounty's side railing. Everyone was ready to fight, but then Raven stood in front of them and said, "She's here." Confused for a moment, everyone looked at Raven, then at the unknown aircraft, and saw someone walking across the bridge to the Bounty. It was a lady about the ninja's age, with orange and yellow hair in streaks up in a bun, and a long, orange dress to her ankles with a red sash as the belt, and black and orange makeup. She was beautiful, but her expression was stern and impatient. However, the look on her face changed into happiness when she saw Raven, but then it faded when she noticed Raven's injury. "Flare!" Raven cried out, as she lifted one arm and limped to her friend. Flare moved to Raven quick, so that Raven wouldn't have to limp so far. She hugged Raven and said, "Hey kiddo, it's been a while." Flare ruffled Raven's hair a little, and Raven fix it back to normal. "I read your letter so I generally know what's going on, but..." Flare smiled for a moment, which made Raven cringe knowing that when Flare smiles like that, things don't go so well. Then Flare's face became angered and she yelled out but not too loud, "What the heck happened to your leg?! You didn't say your leg was injured! Honestly, you could have said something in that letter, I could have brought you a remedy to fix it up in a pinch! I don't believe this!"

Then Flare looked at the others on the Bounty and pulled out two handles from the side pockets of her sash. "Did one of these fools hurt you Raven? I'll make them pay..." Flare said, as she slowly approached the others with a calm, but infuriated expression on her face. The others backed away a little, and Raven grabbed Flare by her arm and said, "No Flare, none of them hurt me, they saved me!" Flare looked at Raven's sincere face, and then she straightened up while putting the handles back in her pockets. "Alright then," Flare said and then continued, "I have no hold against them. If you trust them, then that's ok..." Then Flare looked at the others with a dark glare and said, "But _I_ won't trust them right away." Everyone gulped. Then Flare said, "So, where's the vampire boy, what's his name Kei?" "Kai, and he's in the brig," Raven corrected. "Yes Kai, where is he? I wish to see him," Flare said.

After about seven minutes, Jay and Cole returned from the brig with Kai tied up. Being held by an extra piece of rope by Cole. "Well well," Flare said, as she walked up to Kai, who was confused at seeing her. "So this is Kai, the vampire boy. Well I thought you would've looked more threatening, but all well." Then Kai showed his fangs and his red eyes. "Do I look more threatening now?" He said in a taunting kind of voice. Flare snickered and said, "Oh please, your as threatening now as a three year old begging his mother for a piece of gum." Kai became angered by this, and he growled at Flare with a menacing look in his eyes. Flare just smirked and walked closer to Kai, and said, "You wanna dance little vampire boy? I'll take you out faster than you can even blink." For a moment, Kai and Flare glared at each other intensely before Kai decided it was best not to cause trouble, so he backed off. Flare smiled in triumph and turned to Raven, and said, "Well he doesn't look so bad, so I can safety assume that he's only been bitten for one day." Raven nodded and Flare continued, "Well that's fine then. Besides I can't help him this moment." "Why not?" Misako asked, which was what everyone wanted to ask but didn't dare say anything. Flare replied, "Because, Misako, today is the 'Peace between the rulers' day." Flare said, this with much distaste. "And yes I know all of your names, Raven was very descriptive in her letter," Flare added. Then Raven said, "Oh yeah, 'Peace between the rulers' day, it's when the rulers of each part of the Volcanic lands meet to ensure peace between them and their allegiance to Flare's father and mother. It's a very important ceremony that must be perfect to ensure that the Volcanic lands don't fall apart." Then Sensei Wu said, "Well this event is of such a mighty importance, but we have an urgent situation at hand. Ms. Flare, if you could-" "I don't have the time. I have to attend the ceremony or my mother will rain fire from the heavens and make the Volcanic lands a desolate waste land of sulfur and ashes." Everyone looked at Flare with wide eyes, and then they looked at Raven. Raven shrugged her shoulders and said, "She's right actually, but.." Then Raven turned to Flare with a sweet, sad face, and said, "Please Flare, there must be something you can do?" Flare took a moment to think, with one hand on her hip, her head tited downward and her eyes closed.

She stood like that for a good twenty seconds, and then she lifted her head up quick, which made everyone slightly jump. "Ok, how about this..." Flare began, "I will help you guys, but, you would have to attend the ceremony as guests. Then when the ceremony ends, I will help fix Kai up. However, if _any_ of you do _anything_ to ruin this for me, or do _anything_ that draws attention to yourselves..." Flare walked up to Kai and looked directly into his eyes with a death glare of horror that made Kai slightly unnerved, as she continued, "And I won't hesitate to take you out either temporarily... or permanently. Got it?" Kai stared into Flare's malicious glare, and he spoke as calmly as he could, "I got it." Then Flare turned to the others with the same look, and they agreed with Kai. "Ok then," Flare said, her dark glare completely gone, "Let's get you guys ready for tonight." With that, Flare went back on her aircraft and led the Bounty to the Volcanic lands.

After both flying vehicles had landed safely, the passengers of each vessel were outside and heading over to Flare's castle on the short, but wide mountain top. The castle was large and wide with a large rectangular body and a few watch towers around each corner about two to a corner. The castle was red colored at the bottom, but as you looked up the color faded out to a white at the top of the castle. A smaller but still large rectangular structure stood on top of the humongous base of the castle. There was a rock formation shaped as stairs that led to the castle doors, which were a dark orange color with golden trimming. The sun was close to the horizon, which made the castle look much more vivid. A lot of the land around the castle was made of a dark brown and grey rock, while farther out looked to be grass land and a forest area. There was also four large towers, a little smaller than the castle, that stood beyond the castle and more distant. "Here we are, the Volcanic Kingdom," Flare said. Everyone stared with their jaws dropped in amazement at the castle's vastness and vivid appearance. "It's beautiful," Nya said, and Flare replied, "Of course it's beautiful. What do you think I live in a shed?"

As they approached the castle, Jay stood in the back along with Cole. "So what's the plan now?" Jay whispered to Cole. "Weren't you listening to Kai in the brig before we landed? Uh, ok listen, I still have to get Lloyd, but Kai had a pretty brilliant idea too..." Then Cole explained the rest of the plan to Jay without being noticed by anyone except Nya, who was listening intently. "Got it?" Cole asked, then Jay said, "I got it. Man that would good plan if you don't screw up again Cole." Cole looked at Jay with a distasteful expression, and Jay simply laughed. Then Cole thought to himself, _'I'll get him this time.'_ Cole grinned darkly at his thought without anyone else noticing.

Upon entering the foyer of the castle, it was a large room with stairs coming from the left and right side that faced each other and a plant in each corner of the finely decorated room with light red walls, orange frames for the four pictures around the stair cases of landscapes, a golden chandelier with clear glass crystals that had a raining effect on the ceiling, and the white, glossy floors, with a red carpet on each stair way that met in the center and continued to the next room with large, golden doors.

As everyone stared in awe, Flare interrupted their thoughts when she spoke, "Ok everyone let's move, females to the right stairway and males to the left stairway. I'll give you time to pick your partner girls, one boy to escort you in the party and anyone leftover... well, your leftove, so feel bad about it. You can be guards or whatever just don't get in the way. Also..." Flare grabbed Kai by the collar and said, "Your going to be with me alright, and Zane will watch over you as well, Kapeesh?" Kai thought it, and then he said with a cheeky smirk, "As you wish, your_highness_." Flare became irritated at Kai's taunt, but she ignored him and yelled out, "Avin!" A man with flat brown hair and a grey tuxedo came in and said, "Yes your majesty." Flare looked towards the man and said, "Take the guys to dress, and keep an eye on our little vampire punk. A sharp eye. Alright?" Avin bowed his head and said, "Yes my lady." At this point, Misako, Nya, and Raven had chosen their escorts; Garmadon with Misako, Jay with Nya, and Lloyd with Raven, even though Lloyd was nervous he was able to ask Raven to be her escort, and she agreed. That left Sensei Wu, Dr. Julien, and Cole as the leftovers who would be 'guards' besides Zane, who was told to watch over Kai with Flare. This actually was perfect for Kai's plan to be enacted. After this, the guys went to their side to change, and the girls went to their side to change.

After about an hour of getting ready, the boys were already waiting in the foyer for the girls to arrive. Kai was still tied up, but he had a red tuxedo with a black tie and even black rope to match that Avin was holding. Cole wore a black tuxedo with a green tie, Zane wore a white tuxedo with a white tie, Jay wore a blue tux with a blue tie, Garmadon wore a black tux with a purple, striped tie, Sensei Wu wore a white tux with a grey, striped tie but he kept his hat on, Dr. Julien wore a black tux with a white striped tie, and Lloyd wore a green tux with a golden tie. The boys stood waiting for the girls for another ten minutes before they were finally done. Flare stepped out in her same outfit, but it was strapless with a little black half jacket on it, and her dress had a black trim on the bottom with a yellow sash on her waist instead of red. She signaled with her hand to whoever was behind her, and walked down the stair case with her stern and impatient expression. Yet, no one noticed the small glint in her eyes when she saw Kai. She went over to Avin and took the rope that held Kai and said, "You can go Avin, I'll walk the dog." Kai became irritated at her insult, but he was able to keep his mouth shut as Flare smirked at him.

Coming from the stair case was Misako, Nya, and Raven. Misako had her same pony tail with a green flower crown. Her dress was white with black trimming around the bottom and she wore a jacket like Flare's that was a dark gray and a green sash that matched the flowers. Nya wore a red dress with gold and black trimming on the bottom, and a black sash. She wore a gold tiara around her head with a blue gem in the center. Raven wore a black dress with a purple sash and a green band around her head. The dress had green trimming on the bottom, and the top was covered by a dark green jacket.

As the girls descended the staircase, the boys mouths dropped open in amazement. Misako descended first, and Garmadon grabbed her hand and kissed it, which made Misako blush as he commented her on her beauty. Nya descended second and was met by Jay who could barely speak without stuttering as he gave Nya his complements. Raven descended last, and Lloyd could barely move his feet. _'I knew Raven was very pretty, but she's more beautiful than I imagined... Oh man she's coming... uh...'_ Lloyd walked up to Raven, and he blushed as he spoke, "Raven, you, uh, um, you look..." Raven giggled at his lost for words, and then Lloyd straightened up and said, "You look amazing." Raven blushed a bit, and said, "Thank you Lloyd, and you look awesome too." Then Lloyd noticed that Raven's leg was no longer in a cast. "Raven your leg," Lloyd said, and Raven replied, "Oh yes, Flare gave me a healing remedy so that my leg would be as good as new now." Raven bended her leg to show that it was perfectly fine, and Lloyd nodded in approval. "Shall we go my lady," Lloyd said, as he extended his arm toward Raven. "Why of course sir, thank you kindly," she said, as she took his hand. While everyone was looking towards Raven, Nya felt her side pocket on her dress, and kept the item inside on her mind.

Then a voice was heard out of nowhere of an angry woman that startled everyone in the foyer, including Flare. "FLARE! WHERE ARE YOU?! Oh there you are!" A woman in an all black dress with a red and orange sash, and red trimming on the bottom and top of the dress with vertical lines of small gems on just the top part of the dress, and a black colored crown with a large red gem in the center on her orange flowing hair stepped out from the main party room, where the golden doors were open. The woman walked towards Flare, and then turned her attention to the others in the foyer. A fierce, powerful, and stern look was set in her eyes and she had the face to match.

After scanning the guests in the foyer, the woman turned to Flare and said, "What is the meaning of bringing these people here? Raven is acceptable, but who are the others, and why is that boy tied up?" Flare signed before speaking, "Mother, they are the people in Raven's letter. Remember, Raven described them pretty well and even wrote their names." Flare's mother thought for a moment, and then she remembered. She looked at everyone with a smile, and said, "Oh right, I'm sorry about that. It's just today has been a little stressing is all. I am Melantha, Queen of the Volcanic lands, and Flare's mother if your too slow to figure it out. Welcome." Melantha stepped forward and said, "I'm certain all of you are aware of today's importance for the whole kingdom, so let me say that if anything goes wrong on your behalf, I will rain fire from the heavens and make the Volcanic lands a desolate waste land of sulfur and ashes! You will suffer my wrath and mighty fury, understand?" Melantha looked at everyone with a dark, menacing glare that was even more threatening then Flare's. Everyone gulped and nodded their heads. Then Melantha smiled kindly, and said, "Good. I don't want trouble today, especially for my husband's sake so let's go. Your all already late." Melantha turned and entered the next room, as did everyone else.

The room was about ten times or more larger than the foyer and it had a dj section in the middle back, a food section on the left and right side near the back walls, a large dance floor in the center, and tables right when you walk in with a large chandelier of transparent gold and gems in the shape of the one in the foyer. There were many people on the dance floor conversing, about four main rulers and ten people from each of their lands, along with ten people from the main land that was closest to the castle. The room had pale red walls and large pictures with landscapes on them embroidered with gold. There was a throne beyond the dj section and a large glass window behind it that showed the view outside of a large field and some trees beyond the field.

Our group of heros had their mouths open in awe, but then shut their mouths when Melantha looked at them in a 'Hello go walk around' look. Flare, Kai, and Zane went to the food section on the left because Flare was hungry and she wanted to rub it in Kai's face, literally. Sensei Wu, Dr. Julien, Misako, and Garmadon went to converse with the people on the dance floor. Raven and Lloyd went to the food section on the right to see what was being served. Jay and Nya went to the dance floor, but they kept an eye on Kai, Raven, and Lloyd. Cole moved over to where Raven and Lloyd were without being spotted by them.

As the party went on on the inside, outside, above the glass window, a vampire was making plans. _'Let's see how my little vampire Kai is doing so far,'_ Marcell thought, as she peeked through the window and spotted Kai standing near the food section, while Flare gathered herself food. Marcell smirked, and then she took out a small bug-looking robot and sent it flying threw an opening in the window and right next to Kai. It attached itself on Kai's right ear which made Kai turn in it's direction. "Kai," A voice said through the bug speaker. Kai recognized the voice and whispered, "Marcell?" "Yes, it's me, Marcell," Marcell said and continued, "I attached a speaker bug to your ear so that I could communicate with you." Kai thought about this, and whispered, "A speaker bug? Aw come on-" "Deal with it for now! Listen, where is Raven? Do you have a plan to capture her?" "Yes, we'll have her soon master," Kai whispered, and then he asked, "What do you plan to do with her anyway?" "That's not to be disclosed at this time. After the King's small speech, carry on with your plan alright. You'll learn the details later. I'll be waiting," Marcell said. Then Kai replied, "Yes master." Marcell hid herself further on the roof of the castle.

After a while of conversing and eating, Avin grabbed a microphone and said, "Eh hem, excuse me... Thank you, eh hem, presenting his royal greatest with awesome might and strength, the ruler of the Volcanic Lands, King Arun!" As the king stepped out from behind the throne, everyone began to applaud and cheer. He was a pretty tall guy, with an all white tux and an orange cape on the back. He had an orange belt on, and his hair was blonde that stuck upward with a white crown and a large orange gem in the center. He had a few blonde hairs for a mustache, and he wore a small gold earring on the top of his right ear. "Friends, family, new comers! It's a pleasure to see that you have all arrived here safe and sound. I trust that today's 'Peace of the rulers' ceremony will be a great and prosperious one. May you enjoy your stay in my humble abode and have a wonderful evening my people."

After this, the music started up, and everyone started to dance. Even Misako, Garmadon, Wu, and Dr. Julien were dancing on the dance floor. Lloyd and Raven were dancing as well, and even Cole started to get into it, but then he noticed Jay give him a signal. Jay, Cole, and Nya quickly looked toward Kai's direction. Kai smirked, and then he jumped up on the food table and relieved himself of the rope that had him bound. Flare looked up at him in shock and outrage, as Kai ran across the table showing off his vampire form off, which made Flare nearly rage in anger, until she noticed the reactions of the four head rulers. They started to point at Kai and murmur, and then they pulled out their weapons and approached him. Kai smirked at their attempt to intimidate him, and he simply started tossing food at them, which made the rulers start picking up food and throwing it back.

During this time, Raven and Lloyd were watching this from a distance. Suddenly, Lloyd felt a hand around his mouth, as he was being dragged behind a door that led to a hall, which had empty rooms on each side. Lloyd's captor picked a room on his left as he dragged Lloyd into it, but he had a hard time since Lloyd was fighting back. Then he said, "Wow Lloyd, even for me, your pretty hard to handle." The familiar voice had hauled Lloyd's struggle, as he asked, "Cole?" Then a sharp pain had hit Lloyd's shoulder, as Cole's fangs had finally hit it's mark. Lloyd yelled out in pain, and then he blacked out.


	6. Chapter 6 Double Transition

During Kai's distraction, Raven didn't notice Lloyd's sudden movement until he was near the hall door. She turned to see a flash of green enter the hall. Raven tilted her head in confusion, and then headed to the hall. She walked just outside the door to the hall, slowly, and then she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Nya and Jay. "Hey Raven, where are you going the party's here, even though Kai's acting ridiculous," Jay said, and then Nya asked, "What's wrong, Raven?" Raven looked down, and then she looked up and said, "I'm going to look for Lloyd, he went this way suddenly." Before Jay or Nya could protest, Raven was already jogging down the hall. "Wait Raven," Jay said, as he started following after Raven. "Jay!" Nya called out. Jay stopped in his tracks and turned to Nya, and his eyes widened in surprise. Nya ran up to Jay and poured a liquid from a vial into his mouth and forced him to swallow it. Jay swallowed the strange liquid and started choking terribly, "What, -cough- did you -cough- do N-Nya?" Jay was on his knees with both hands on the floor coughing. Then Nya replied, "A gift from one of Flare's maids. She knew I was a vampire, and I told her that I wanted to stop you, Kai, and Cole. She gave me this vial of Wolf tears she gathered from the lake before attending the party for 'in case of emergencies.' I have more than enough for you, Kai, Cole, and Lloyd too." Jay continued to cough until he felt a heat in his throat, and then he started to feel the heat dissipate.

After this, Jay stood up and looked at his hands and then touched his face. _'No more fangs, no more urge to do mas- I mean Marcell's bidding'_ "I'm back... I'm BACK!" Jay shouted in joy, as he hugged Nya. "Thank you so much Nya, I owe you big time. Oh my gosh I'm finally free!" Jay looked at Nya and said, happily, "Your cured! I'm cured! We're all gonna be cured!" Nya smiled at Jay, but then she realized that Raven was in trouble. "Jay, Raven!" Nya said, and then Jay looked at Nya, and nodded as he said, "That's right! Cole and Kai are still vampires. Then that means Lloyd probably is..." Nya gasped, and then Jay said, "We have to help them before it's too la-" **BAM!** Nya and Jay turned to see Kai on the floor facedown. Flare was entering the hall with a death glare on her face, as she approached Kai while saying,"You little punk, I'll break you!"

Before Flare walked any further, Jay jumped in front of the nearly unconscience Kai and said, "Wait Flare, please! Nya has the Wolf tears, she can fix Kai in no time. Please don't blame him! He was under Marcell's influence like I was!" As Jay said this, Misako, Garmadon, Wu, Dr. Julien, and Zane entered the hall and closed the door behind them. "What?" Sensei Wu asked. Then Jay said, "I'll explain quick, but we have to hurry, ok..."

As Jay explained the situation, Nya gave Kai the Wolf tears, and Kai started to feel the heat in his throat and cough excessively until the heat dissipated. Kai stood up while holding his head, and said, "Oh man, I... Oh no. I'm such an idiot! I helped Marcell this whole time, I shouldn't have listened!" "It's ok Kai, Marcell is pretty strong," Nya said, as Kai grabbed a broken robotic bug from his ear and crushed it further than Flare did when she punched him. "What was-" Nya was about to ask, but Kai cut her off, "Don't worry about it. We have more important things to worry about, where's Raven and Lloyd?"

When Raven was jogging down the halls, she jogged to the end of the second hall on the left from the first. She looked out a window at the end of the hall, and saw that no one had passed through there. _'Strange, where__did he go?'_ Raven asked herself, as she heard the squeak of an opening door. When she turned around, a door was opened on the right side of the hall, which was now her left. She slowly walked towards the door and entered the pretty dark room that used the moon light as a light source. This was a guest bedroom with a small sofa and a lampstand with a closet on the left wall, a bed on the center of the right wall of the room with two lampstands at each side, and a bathroom on the far right.

Raven saw someone standing near the open balcony window entrance whose back was turned."L-Lloyd?" Raven asked, as she walked a little closer to the person, and then turned around when, suddenly, the door closed behind her. Then Raven heard a voice say, "Hello Raven, I've been waiting for you." Raven turned to see that the person turned around to reveal himself as Lloyd, but he seemed a bit different to Raven. "Lloyd... you've been waiting for me? Wait, why did you come here to-" Raven cut off when Lloyd walked up to her, while she was talking, and placed his hand on her cheek. "You know Raven," Lloyd said, as he caressed her cheek, and said, "You look much more radiant in the moon light." Raven blushed a little, as Lloyd took Raven by the hands, and started to dance with her to a slow song that was already playing in the room from some speakers.

Outside of the room, Cole was keeping watch to make sure no one entered it. He couldn't help, but overhear some of Lloyd and Raven 's conversation.

Meanwhile, Lloyd and Raven were still dancing together in the room. Then Raven said, "L-Lloyd?" "Yes my dear?" Lloyd said, as he dipped Raven and moved his face closer to her's, with a charming smile. Raven blushed a little more, and then she said, "Lloyd, you seem a bit... different. Like more 'outspoken' if that's the correct word." Lloyd lifted Raven to a normal standing position, and he said, "Well, I feel different, and I've been meaning to talk to you alone. I wanted to tell you how I feel... about you." Lloyd put his hands on Raven's shoulders gently, and right when he was going to say something, he saw a glint of red. When he looked out the window, he saw Marcell standing on the edge of the balcony, grinning, with glowing red eyes. Lloyd thought, _'Marcell... she's come for Raven, she thinks I'll just hand her over... Well you've__got another thing coming Marcell.'_

Lloyd looked at Raven, and said, "Raven, I'm..." Raven asked, "Yes?" Then Lloyd closed his eyes and said, "I'm sorry." Raven was confused at first, but then when Lloyd looked up at her, she saw red ringed eyes and two white fangs shining in the moonlight. Raven was shocked at seeing Lloyd as a vampire, and then Lloyd took Raven and dipped her again while looking at Marcell. Marcell frowned, as her eyes widened when she realized what was going to happen. "You better not... she must remain the way she is," Marcell said, as she looked at Lloyd intensely. Lloyd smirked and then went to bite Raven on the neck. Marcell became infuriated, and then she realized that she had to stop Lloyd quick before he bit Raven.

As Marcell jumped down and charged at them, Lloyd had finished whispering in Raven's ear. Then when Marcell ran close enough, Lloyd did a spin while holding Raven, and then Raven kicked Marcell right in the stomach and sent her flying onto her back. While Marcell was dazed, Lloyd and Raven grabbed some bed sheets and rope from the curtains and tied Marcell up. They looked at each other and nodded at their achievement.

Then a bang was heard on the door. Raven and Lloyd stood still as they heard a shout, a thud, and then another bang. They looked at each other confused, and then the door shot open. Lloyd and Raven saw the ninja and others enter the room. "Not soo... what the?" Kai said, as he saw that Marcell was tied up and Raven and Lloyd were just standing there. "How did you guys do that?" Jay asked, as everyone relaxed. "It was pretty easy actually, with Lloyd faking to bite me, Marcell tried to attack him so we were able to get a good hit in before tying her up," Raven replied. "Wait, faking a bite, then..." Misako said, as she looked at her son. Lloyd signed, and then he revealed his vampire form. Everyone gasped, and then Cole walked in rubbing his head, as a normal human, and said, "I'm sorry Lloyd. If I was stronger I probably could've resisted Marcell's contr-" "Who can truly fight Marcell's hold unless you just have a resilience to it," Flare interrupted Cole, and said, "Only a select few people can resist Marcell's hold or any other vampire's hold, like Lloyd and Nya. It just happens. Some take their own path, while other's follow Marcell. It's not uncommon." Then Dr. Julien said, "So Nya and Lloyd are the special types who are resistant to forced control. That's very helpful, especially in this situation."

Then Misako walked up to Lloyd and said, "Well, it's a good thing you are able to resist Lloyd." "Heh, yeah it is." Lloyd replied. "But at least you can turn back to normal now," Garmadon said. "Ok Lloyd, I have the Wolf tears here, so you just need to drink some and you should be back to normal in a jiffy." Nya said, as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the vial. Lloyd became uneasy as Nya approached him with the vial of Wolf Tears. Then, when Nya put the vial in Lloyd's hand, Lloyd stared at it, and then threw the vial at the wall. The glass vial shattered to pieces as the cool liquid splattered on the wall. Everyone was in a gasping shock for a minute, and then they snapped out of it when they heard Lloyd run out to the balcony. "Where's he going?!" Cole asked. "And where is Raven?" Zane added.

After smashing the vial, Lloyd quickly grabbed Raven and ran out to the balcony. He was able to jump off the balcony and land safety on the floor below, which wouldn't have been possible if he was a human without injury. Then Lloyd continued running from the castle while holding Raven. "Lloyd, where are we going?" Raven asked, and Lloyd replied, "Don't worry about it." While Lloyd continued to run past the field of grass and into the forest, the ninja and others behind them were trying to jump down from the castle wall without hurting themselves.

As Lloyd continued running through the forest, he found a spot with a rock structure ledge above a small lake. He ran on top of the structure, and he set Raven down on it. Then Raven looked at the water, and turned to Lloyd and asked, "Lloyd, what's going on? Why did you bring me here?" Lloyd looked away to think before answering, "Raven, since I've been a vampire, even for this short amount of time, I can feel the extra boast of power flowing in my veins. I'm much stronger now, and I can help prevent Marcell or anyone else from trying to kidnap you. What I'm trying to say is, I think I should stay as a vampire, it would be better, and... I want you to come with me." Raven's eyes widened, and then she said, "Lloyd, I-I don't know what to say." Lloyd walked closer to Raven and held her hand, as he said, "Please Raven. I want to protect you, and I want you to come with me, to somewhere safe. Away from all this." Raven asked, "But Lloyd what about our friends and your family?" Lloyd pondered this, then he said, "They'll be fine Raven, I'm sure they will. But that doesn't really matter now... So, will you come? We can go somewhere more isolated, so that no one will ever bother us." Lloyd grew a dark grin on his face as he thought about what he would do if someone dared to bother Raven. "I'll make sure of that," Lloyd said, and Raven was able to confirm that Lloyd wasn't in the right frame of mind, and that he would get worse.

Then Raven said, "Lloyd, I really like you, but we can't just abandon our family and friends. We have to go back to them. When it comes down to it..." Raven thought about her own father and the Viporeons. She realized then that she had to go back home, and make due with her father. He was still her dad, and when it comes down to it... "Your family and friends are the only ones you'll have in the end." Lloyd thought about Raven's words, and he let go of her hand. Raven turned to look at the lake for a moment. Then she said, "Lloyd, this lake has the Wolf tears. If you drink some, you can be human again." Lloyd looked up at Raven who was still looking at the water. Then he thought, _'She wants me to be human again. But I was weaker than I am now, and I couldn't even tell her my true feelings before without hesitating or not saying anymore about it. No, being human... Aahhh! __**I'm better being a vampire, and I bet she will be better too. She will understand more... I'll show her.**__'_ Lloyd smiled darkly, and barred his fangs, as he slowly approached Raven. The vampire side of Lloyd was influencing him, and infecting his mind. Raven looked at Lloyd, since he was quiet, and she gasped, as Lloyd approached her with his barred fangs. "Lloyd! What are you doing?!" Raven asked, in a little panik, as she backed away slowly toward the edge of the rock structure. "You'll understand much more Raven, once _**you **_become a vampire," Lloyd said, as he chuckled darkly.

As Raven backed up a little more, she heard voices calling out, and turned to see the others running from a distance in her direction, since the area around the lake had more grass than trees. "Raven!" "Lloyd stop!" "Hold on!" "Don't do it Lloyd!" "Raven run!" Flare, Misako, Cole, Sensei Wu, and Kai shouted out, as they were running towards Raven and Lloyd. Raven realized that she only had one option at that point to ensure that she would be able to save Lloyd without anyone else getting hurt. Then she turned towards Lloyd and let her guard down, as she closed her eyes and kept her hands at his sides. Right when she did so, Lloyd proceeded quickly towards Raven, and seized her by her shoulders. Then Lloyd went and sank his fangs into Raven's neck. The pain of the strike was much more than Raven anticipated, so she let out a cry as her eyes shot open, which made Flare boil in anger. "Get AWAY from HER!" Flare yelled out, and right before she made a move, everyone froze in their tracks while their mouths opened in surprised.

Raven had grabbed Lloyd by the waist, and then she pulled him off the edge of the cliff with her. They both descended straight into the deep part of the lake, and hit the water with a splash. Everyone looked on for a moment, stunned. Then they continued where they left off, running towards the lake, and stood looking into the water. "Lloyd! Raven!" Kai called out. "I hope they're alright," Nya said, in concern. "They'd better be, I've got a few things to tell both of them, and a few smacks to hit everyone with!" Flare said. The water in the lake shifted and bubbles popped, as two people popped out of the water. They swam to where the others were and climbed out of the water, dripping wet. Lloyd was back to his normal self, and Raven was normal too. "I'm so glad your back," Raven said to Lloyd, as he turned to her and replied, "Good to be back." Then **WACK! WACK!** Lloyd and Raven were left rubbing their heads, while Flare began scolding, "You FOOLS! While you two were completely oblivious, the party was going all crazy! Kai with his idiotic shananigans, Cole with his complete arrogance that was broken after we turned him back to a human, and now you two running off causing worry and panik among _these_ fools! You've got a lot of nerve, which I respect... but you all completely ruined EVERYTHING! Now the rulers may start going wild, and my mother may have a fit because of all you! And you!" Flare turned towards Kai with an irritated expression, as Kai backed away slowly. "I'll make you wish you were a rock, so that I wouldn't be able to crush your bones so easily!" Flare said.

Before anyone could react, a voice of the Queen was heard not too far away. "FLARE! ALL OF YOU! Come here at ONCE!" Melantha was standing a couple of feet away, with her arms crossed, glaring as usual. Flare signed, and then she walked over to her mother, as everyone else followed. Flare stood a few feet from her mother and said, "Mother, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for any of this to happen and-" "Quit speaking words from your mouth and let me talk," Melantha cut in, and Flare stood silent. Then Melantha said, "I came out here because I wanted to say... that the party was a SUCCESS!" Melantha lifted her arms up, as everyone looked at her in confusion. "What? Explain the meaning of this ma?" Flare asked, and then Melantha continued, "When Kai had started to cause an uproar, the four head rulers were able to stop him, of course, by working together. After you left with Kai and the others Flare, the rulers had stood in front of your father, and had pledged their allegiance to him, and even signed a treaty and contract to forever stay together as one people under Arun's rule and his descendants. Oh this is fantastic! The kingdom is now closer than ever. They realized how important it is to keep the kingdom together. I have to admit, I really wanted to cut you all into ribbons, but I guess you all _did_ help the kingdom, so I give you my gratitude and whatever else you may need." Sensei Wu stepped forward and said, "Actually we need some information, and I think you can help provide it, Queen Melantha." "Sure thing," Melantha replied, "But let's head inside the castle, after today's events I need to rest, and I'm sure all of you need some rest as well." With that, Melantha headed off to the castle, and everyone else followed her.

However, Lloyd and Raven stood behind a moment. "Raven," Lloyd said, and Raven turned to Lloyd and replied, "Yes Lloyd?" Lloyd looked down, and then he looked up at Raven and said, "Raven, I'm so sorry I wasn't myself. I-I didn't mean to hurt you. I c-couldn't control myself. I-" Lloyd was cut off when Raven hugged him, which made him blush a little, and she said, "I'm just glad your back to normal Lloyd, and don't worry, I was never mad at you to begin with." Raven released Lloyd and smiled at him, which made Lloyd smile back.

Then Raven continued to follow the others to the castle, and Lloyd caught up with them as well. The ninja were talking to each other and giggling, until Lloyd came walking beside them. "Hey Lloyd -giggle- Nice to see your all right," Jay said. Lloyd looked at his friends in confusion, and then asked, "What's so funny?" Then Kai said, "Sooo, Raven huh?" Lloyd was still confused, until Cole said, "'You know Raven, You look much more radiant in the moon light', wasn't that what you said Lloyd?" "'I want to tell you how I feel' huh Lloyd?" Jay added. Lloyd's face became flushed, and he said, "Y-You heard. All of it?!" Cole nodded, and the other guys continued to laugh while Zane put his hand on Lloyd's shoulder, and said, "Don't worry Lloyd. It's alright if you have a strong emotional attachment to Raven. It's quite normal, especially in your case since it looks like you probably lov-" Lloyd covered Zane's mouth and the other guys started laughing more, as Lloyd continued to walk ahead of them, embarassed.

However, no one noticed the two figures a long distance off on top of a large hill. They were watching what was happening, and as everyone was heading back to the castle. One of them wore a hooded outfit that was a black shirt with sleeves, and dark blue pants with zipper lines of silver. The other wore a hooded outfit with a black cape that reached their knees, and black pants and shirt with a white belt. The one without the cape spoke, "Well this is interesting isn't it? I guess those ninja are much more skilled than we expected. All well, it doesn't truly matter. We'll get the girl _and_ the Viporeon pearl soon enough. Let's head out." They started to walk away, and the one with the cape stood a moment more to look at Raven and Lloyd. Then they turned and walked off with the other person down the hill, deeper into the forest.


	7. Chapter 7 New Friend, More Enemies

When everyone returned to the castle, the guests had already started to leave. Malentha brought the everyone to the balcony just outside the dance room, where the king was taking refuge, looking out at the land beyond. He turned around and greeted his wife and daughter, than he turned to the others. "Well, well, so these are the ninja and their comrades... and Raven, it's nice to see you in perfect health." "It's nice to see you Mister Arun," Raven replied. "You have all helped this kingdom continue to prosper. What is your wish, and we shall accomodate it," King Arun asked. Sensei Wu replied, "Yes, thank you your highness. We wish to know if you have any spare knowledge to enlighten us with about Marcell. She has been pursuing us in an attempt to capture Raven, and we have no idea why." King Arun thought about this, and he turned to look out the balcony. Then he spoke, "Marcell is pretty well known for being neutral, but I guess someone must have offered her something pretty extravagant for her to do their bidding." Then Raven remembered when Marcell had called someone on the phone, and she called them 'Big Boss.' "Yes, I remember when Marcell first tried to kidnap me. She called someone on a pink cellphone, and called them 'Big Boss'." Arun pondered this, and then he said, "Yup, Marcell is definantly being paid off. Like an assassin, she takes her work seriously, especially to benefit her kingdom." Then Dr. Julien asked, "Her 'kingdom'? So Marcell is a queen?" "Yes," Arun continued, "She is Queen of the Vampire Kingdom. Even though she is actually a princess, she prefers to be called 'Queen' or she'll become very hostile, and you don't want _her_ to become hostile."

Then Malentha said, "Marcell is a master fighter, and skilled in many forms of combat. She is also my colleague from Bellicose's School of Combat Arts. We were the top in our class and the whole school, along with a few others." Then Cole asked, "Bellicose's School?" Flare clarrified, "Yes, Bellicose's School of Combat Arts for the Evilly Gifted." "Wait, 'evilly gifted'? Does that mean that-" Kai asked, but was cut off by Malentha, "Yes I'm evil, or at least I _was_ very evil before marrying Arun." Malentha shot a glance at Arun, who smiled sweetly at Malentha. "So... you were evil, and you became good because of Arun?" Jay asked, and Malentha replied, "That's _King Arun_ to you! And you could say I have become more in control of my evil tendencies, and decided that ruling the world is a waste of my time and there are more important things to me than... _ruling_ the _world_." Malentha picked up her hands and gave a sinister look when she said 'ruling the world.' Arun put his hand on Malentha when everyone backed up from her malivalent glance. He looked at Malentha like 'Hey we have guests, relax', which made Malentha relax her arms down and look at Arun with puppy-dog eyes that made Arun smile in 'aww.'

Then Garmadon asked, "How come it was so easy for you to change?" Malentha replied, "It wasn't easy at all. All I did was give Arun headaches dealing with my unruly behavior before he married me by trying to rule the world. But, then I saw how much dedication, sincerity, and love Arun had for me even when I was in a dark place, and when he was forced to fight against me. Yet, he always let me go. He gave me chance after chance to change, and to live a better life. Finally, I just took it, and that's when I started to change, and eventually I married Arun." Malentha looked at Arun, and he looked back at her with a smile.

After a moment, Zane asked, "Your story is very fascinating, I would hate to interrupt, but we need to know as much about Marcell as we can..." "Oh right right," Malentha said, as she continued, "Marcell is the Queen of vampires, and she is very powerful. However, Marcell wasn't always a vampire, and neither was her sister Lucy-" "She has a sister-" Jay cut in, and was cut off by Malentha, "LET ME FINISH!" Jay backed up behind Cole, and said, "I'm s-sorry please c-continue." Then Malentha continued, "Marcell and her younger sister Lucy went to Bellicose's, and they excelled very far above others, besides myself of course. Anyway, the former vampire king and queen had visited the school and saw potential in both Marcell and Lucy. Since Marcell and Lucy were orphans, the vampire king and queen decided they wanted to adopt them. So, after being adopted, Marcell and Lucy would visit their 'parents' until they were finished with school, and then went to live with them. However, when the girls found out that their adoptive parents were vampires they confronted them. Their parents told them that they truly loved Marcell and Lucy, and that they needed heirs to the vampire throne who they could trust. Marcell and Lucy accepted their places as their adoptive parents' children, and heirs to the vampire throne. Then Marcell and Lucy became vampires and now they are the princesses of the Vampire Kingdom."

As Malentha explained this, Misako snuck away from everyone and went to look for Marcell. "Wow, Marcell has quite the story," Kai said. "But that doesn't explain why she is after Raven," Sensei Wu said. "Oh well excuse me if I wasted my time explaining this to ALL OF YOU!" Malentha yelled out, and Arun took her hand and patted it saying, "Calm down dear, it's alright, you did what you could." Then Sensei Wu said, "Um, Pardon me your majesty, I didn't mean to upset you. I am just concerned for Raven's sake." Malentha relaxed and said, "Yes, I respect your concern for Raven. That's why I think it's best if you go to Aeroplane to be better protected from Marcell, and find out more about who she is working for. I'll sent a letter telling them your coming." Malentha walked up some stairs that went from the balcony they were on to another balcony above it, outside. "'Aeroplane?" Cole asked, then Raven elaborated, "Aeroplane, the floating lands. It's huge and it floats above Mount Soaria. It can't be seen from below though, you would have to fly up through the mystical fog up to the Aeroplane Kingdom. Two of Flare and my closest friends live in Aeroplane. They'll be able to help us." Then Jay said, "Well I guess you two have friends in _high_ places, get it?" Almost everyone face palmed except Raven, Garmadon, and Dr. Julien who just signed. "Hey, where's Misako?" Nya asked, as everyone looked around for her.

_'I wonder where she could be?'_ Misako asked herself, as she wandered the halls of the Volcanic Kingdom. "May I help you Miss?" Misako turned to see a maid standing behind her in an all black uniform, with black hair in a bun. "Um, yes, I was wondering where Marcell is being kept?" Misako asked. The maid bowed, and said, "I'll show you. Follow me."

Misako was led through another hall that had a black double door with white trimming on the outside. After entering, Misako and the maid passed by an underground passage that led to an area of prison cells. After passing the prison cells, the maid passed by another door that had two guards in front of it and another double door that was burgundy. Upon entering, Misako's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in awe, as she saw the room. It was a large, dark cylinder room with a cylinder-shaped cage in the middle and a moat around it without water. As Misako walked across the stone bridge to the cage, she saw just who was in the large prison cell. Marcell was straped down by her legs, arms, waist, and neck. She also had a muzzle on her mouth, and her eyes were closed until she heard footsteps right outside her prison cell.

Marcell opened her eyes to see Misako, and she smiled while saying, "Ah, look who's here. Misako, one of my friends. How can I aid thee?" The maid opened the cell door, and Misako entered and stood right in front of Marcell. "Marcell," She started, "Your boss, the 'Big Boss,' who are they and why do they want Raven?" Marcell started to laugh, but it was a little muffled from the muzzle. "Like I would tell you anything Misako. Even if you are my _friend_." Misako looked away to think, and then she said, "Marcell please. I don't want Raven to get hurt, and no one else wants her to be harmed either. Do you even want to help this person? Do you even know what they're going to do with Raven if they get her?" Marcell looked to the side, deep in thought. Misako signed, and then she said, "Marcell, I don't think your as bad as you seem, and I don't think your sister Lucy is either." Marcell looked at Misako intensely when she mentioned Lucy. Misako continued, "I think you would understand how it feels to care about someone, and to protect them. Well, that's how we feel about Raven, and I bet you feel the same about your sister." Marcell continued to be silent. Then Misako said, as she turned around, "I guess I can't reason with you. I should go."

As Misako started to walk away, Marcell called out, "Hey Misako." Misako turned toward Marcell, listening carefully, as Marcell spoke. "In my left pocket, front, is my cell phone. You can borrow it for now. The Big Boss' number is on speed dial and is labeled 'Big Boss'." Misako smiled as she walked up to Marcell, and took the pink cell phone out of her pocket. "Thank you Marcell," Misako said, and Marcell replied, "Yeah, yeah, just don't say I gave it to you alright?" Marcell turned her face with her eyes closed like 'hmph,' as Misako nodded, and left the prison cell to catch up with the others.

After Misako and the maid left from the underground prison, Marcell waited until the coast was clear. She smiled darkly, and said in a whisper, "Thank you Misako, for your wonderful donation." Marcell turned over her left hand to reveal a lock of Misako's hair. "Now to bust out of this place and retrieve my phone, but of course I can't leave without making a better impression..."

Misako was able to change to her old clothes, and then she headed back to the Bounty, since the maid told her that everyone went there. As Misako walked on the Bounty's deck, she was greeted by her family and friends, who also changed back into their old clothes. "Misako, there you are." "Where have you been Misako?" "Mom your alright!" "What you've been up to Misako?" Everyone asked her. Misako smiled and said, "I'm perfectly fine. I just had a discussion with Marcell and she gave me this." Misako pulled out the pink cell phone, and Raven gasped and said, "That's it! That's the pink cell phone!" Then Kai asked, "How did you get it?" "Yeah, Misako?" Flare said. Flare followed everyone to the Bounty, but her parents stood at the castle. "Marcell wouldn't just give up her phone so easily," Flare said. Then Misako replied, "Oh, I have my ways of persuasion." Then Garmadon said, "Yes you do, that's why I couldn't help but agree to marry you." Misako lightly glared at Garmadon and said, "As I recall, you were the one who asked _me_ to marry you." Garmadon replied, "Well... yeah I did." Misako smiled at Garmadon, and he smiled back. "Eh hem," Jay coughed and caught everyone's attention. "Sorry to interrupt, but, the cellphone." "Oh right," Misako said, as she brought out the phone into the light of a random hanging lamp.

Then, the cell phone rang, which surprised everyone. Misako looked at the phone through a little screen and it read, 'Big Boss'. Misako gasped and said, "It's the Big Boss. Marcell's client!" Everyone froze, and then Flare took the phone and said, "I got this, I'm good at impersonations, especially voices. I'll put it on speaker so everyone shush up and listen carefully." Flare flipped the phone open and pressed the speaker button. No one moved, as they listened carefully. "What's up?" Flare said, and she sounded just like Marcell. "Marcell, how nice to speak to you again." The voice on the line sounded like a woman with a dark, sort of deep, and cunning voice. "What's going on Big Boss?" Flare asked. Then the woman replied, "I was wondering if you finally caught Raven. You know we need to capture her." Then Flare said, "Hey, hey Big Boss, I know you need Raven, it's just been pretty... difficult you know, with all those petty ninja." Flare winked at the others, and they were relieved from some tension they felt. "Well, well, I see," the woman continued, "Well, it must surely be difficult to catch her huh. I'm gonna have to call reinforcements soon." "Come on Big Boss, you doubt my power, my greatness?" Flare asked, then the woman replied, "Oh no I don't doubt Marcell. I just doubt that _you_ are the _real_ Marcell!"

Everyone froze. _'We've been caught, how?'_ Flare thought. The woman on the phone continued, "You think I don't know that your _not_ Marcell? Besides... I can see you." The ninja turned around and started combing the area, as well as everyone on deck in a bit of a panik. Then Flare said in her normal voice, "What do you want Big Boss? And where are you? Why do you hide?" Big Boss replied, "Patience my friends. Besides, I don't want you to interfere with my plans." "What are your plans?" Kai said to the pink phone. "Hahahaha, you'll find out, but for now, I bide you adieu-" The woman was cut off by Raven, "What do you want with me? What have I done to you? I don't even know you!" The Big Boss chuckled, and replied, "Oh dear child, I hold no grudge against you, and you have done nothing to me, but you are a neccessity to my plans. No hard feelings dear. I'll see you later, hehehe, bye." The call was disconnected. Everyone stood still for a moment, pondering what Big Boss had just told them.

Then a loud bang was heard. When everyone looked, smoke was coming from the castle, and a figure flew off into the night. While everyone gasped, Flare watched in horror and anger. Then, out of nowhere, a figure snatched the pink cell phone and jumped on the Bounty's edge. When everyone turned to look, they gasped when they saw Marcell with her cell phone. She grinned at them, and said, "Thank you for my cell phone back. I appreciate it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta run. See ya." As fast as she came, Marcell jumped away, and vanished into the night. Everyone looked around, but they didn't see a trace of Marcell. "Let's spit up and look for her," Sensei Wu said and added, "But do not engage her in battle." The ninja ran in separate direction, except Lloyd, who stood with Raven. Flare ran to the castle, along with Sensei Wu and Garmadon. Dr. Julien, Nya, and Misako stood on the Bounty. "Aw man, I wish I could help them," Nya said. "That's right, Marcell destroyed the Samurai X suit," Misako said, sympathetically. Then Dr. Julien said, "Hey, it's not destroyed, it's being rebuilt." "What?" Nya asked. "I made modifications to your suit whne I saw it was in destroyed, but I haven't quite finished yet," Dr. Julien said. "Can I see?" Nya asked, her eyes lighting up. "Sure follow me," Dr. Julien said, as he walked into the Bounty. Nya and Misako followed, but Misako turned towards Lloyd and Raven, and said, "It's best to stay in the Bounty." Raven and Lloyd nodded as they followed Misako.

The ninja searched, but to no avail. Marcell was no where to be found, and neither was Big Boss. So, they returned to the Bounty. "Man, not one trace," Jay said, flailing his arms in the air. "I know right. She actually disappeared," Cole said. "This is crazy," Kai said. "Indeed, this situation is much more serious than we anticipated," Zane said. Then Sensei Wu and Garmadon returned from the castle. "Hey, your back. Is everyone alright at the castle?" Kai asked. "Everyone is fine," Garmadon replied, and Sensei Wu added, "But Flare's mother was very upset, and her father was as well. Flare said she would return to us shortly. We'd better get ready to leave early tomorrow." Then Cole asked, "You think it's safe?" Sensei replied, "I think we'll be alright, but we'll have to wake up early tomorrow and head to Aeroplane as soon as possible." With that, Sensei Wu, Garmadon, and the ninja entered the Bounty to the control room.

Everyone was seated in the control, talking things over, when Flare entered the room. She wore a similar outfit to the ninja, but it was black and orange with an orange sash around the waist. Flare's hair was no longer in a bun, and it was loose up to her shoulders. She was holding two suitcases and set them on the floor. Kai stood up and said, "Whoa hold on. Your coming with us?" Flare glared at him, and said, "Yes I am. If you got a problem take it with Sensei Wu and Garmadon. They said it would be alright." Kai looked at Sensei Wu and Garmadon like 'What?!'. Then Sensei Wu said, "I think it's best if Flare comes with us. She will be a perfect addition to the team." "Are you kidding?" Kai replied, then Garmadon said, "We need as much help as we could get Kai, and Flare is known to be an excellent fighter around here, so I think it's best if she comes. Besides, she has much more knowledge of this land than we do." Flare walked up to Kai and placed her hand on his shoulder, with a grin, and said, "Don't worry Kai, I just want to protect Raven and help you guys get to Aeroplane. I won't try other tricks of the bad kind." Flare smiled with a cheeky grin, and Kai glared at her. Then Misako said, "Well I think it's a good idea." "Yeah, I think it's fine," Nya said, and then she added, "Besides, it's nice to have more girls aboard the Bounty." Then Jay said, "I agree, but you know, with Flare being more helpful and all." He smiled at Nya, and Nya gave him a look like, 'Ah ha'. Then Cole said, "I don't mind." And Zane, Dr. Julien, Lloyd, and Raven nodded in approval. Even though Kai didn't like the idea too much, he agreed with a nod. "Then it's settled," Flare said, and added, "Kai, be a dear and help me with my bags to my room please." She smiled at Kai sweetly, as he retorted with a 'hmph.' Kai then walked over, and picked up Flare's suitcases. "Good boy," Flare said, as she patted Kai on the head, and he gave her an annoyed face. "Here, I'll show you to your room," Nya said, as she stood up and led Flare and Kai to Flare's room, which she would share with the other girls. "Aw, how cute," Cole said in response to how Kai and Flare acted towards one another. "I know right, it's adorable," Jay added. "Alright everyone. We've had a rough day. Let's all get some rest for now," Sensei said.

Then everyone went to their respective rooms to sleep. Flare adjusted quickly, and fell asleep like nothing. After everyone was well into slumber, outside the Bounty, the castle was quickly repaired from the minor damage Marcell had caused and everyone was getting to sleep. However, not too far away, the hooded person with a cape stood sitting in a tree hollow large enough to hold a human. _'Until the morning,'_ they thought, as they fell asleep.

The next early morning, Sensei had woken up early and helped everyone else to wake up except the girls, who had awakened when he had. The Bounty was already set on course and flying in the air, heading to Aeroplane. The journey would take longer than to the Volcanic lands, so our heroes would have to make a few pit stops at night to rest. The trip should be about two days two nights. Now, early on the first day, Flare and Raven were already on deck talking when the others arrived. "Oh look who decided to wake up," Flare said, with a smirk. Then Jay asked, "How long have you girls been up?" Raven answered, "As long as Sensei Wu." "Alright everyone," Sensei said, "It's time to test your abilities. Flare, Raven, I trust you two are ready." Flare and Raven nodded in unison. "Wait," Cole said, "They're training with us?" He asked. "Why of course Cole," Sensei answered and continued, "We need to test all of our limits to get stronger, and I think some more competition would prove most useful." Then, Sensei Wu sat down to drink his tea. Garmadon, Misako, and Dr. Julien stood back. "Competition? Really Sensei, I don't think anyone can compare to us," Jay said, but was then cut off by Flare. "I know right, Sensei. These guys won't stand a chance. They're probably not worth my time." Flare flung her hair in the air gracefully, and Kai walked up to her, and said, "Oh yeah? Well then, let's see what ya got." Kai pulled out his fire sword and Flare looked at him like 'oh please' and said, "You don't know who your dealing with." Then Kai replied, "Do you?" Flare turned to Kai and took out her sword handles she kept at her waist, "Bring it fire boy."

Everyone else jumped back, and Sensei just let the fight begin. "Remember, we are allies and this is sparring," Sensei Wu said. "We got it!" Kai and Flare said at the same time, which made them both glare at each other more. "Oh great, they're already fighting," Jay said, then Zane said, "This should have been expected. Their both much alike and that can cause some strife between them." "Let's hope they don't go too far," Lloyd said, and Raven said, "I hope Flare can control herself." Kai and Flare stood in a stare down for a while. Then the fight began.

Kai stood in a fighting stance as well as Flare. He saw that Flare's weapons were only sword handles, and he said, "What are you gonna do with those sword handles? Poke me to submission?" Kai smirked, but then his smirk faded when Flare smirked as well. Then Flare said, "Oh Kai, you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, or swords by their handles... no you have to see the blades as well." The sword handles started to glow, and then two blades were formed on the handles. One blade was white on the left hand, while the other blade was black on the right hand. The handles were platinum colored that would go over Flare's hands like pirate handles. Kai was surprised by this, and then Flare said, "The name of my weapon is the Platinum Scimitars of Yin and Yang. Unlike your element being only fire, my element is actually two elements. One light..." Flare lifted the white scimitar. "And one dark." Flare lifted the black scimitar. Then Flare went into a fighting stance that was kind of like how the Gerudo woman in Ocarina of time stood when Link had to sneak in their fortress. "Can you beat both light and dark Kai?" Flare asked, taunting him. Kai stood his ground and said, "It doesn't matter how many elements you have. I'll defeat them all-WHA!" Kai blocked as Flare went running towards him, and striked with both scimitars. Then Flare flipped backwards, and Kai ran forward to hit Flare with his sword, but Flare blocked with the scimitars in an 'X' form. Both Kai and Flare jumped back, but then Flare slashed in Kai's direction and a black energy went flying from Flare's sword towards Kai. Kai was able to dodge the energy shot, but when he did, he saw that Flare used it as a distraction to get closer to him. "Oh man!" Kai yelled out, as he tried to dodge Flare, but to no avail. Flare used another energy attack, but it was from the white scimitar, and it actually shot out a few shots than just one. Kai was only able to dodge one of them, but he got hit with the other two. Right before he had time to react, Flare ran behind Kai and kicked him upward, then she jumped up and fused her two swords together, which made them into a larger blade with black on one side and white on the other with the tip of each side having the opposite color dot on it. Then Flare striked Kai, which sent him flying across the deck to the bow of the ship. Everyone gasped, except Raven.

As Kai stood up holding his head, he felt a sharp blade lightly tap his shoulder. When he looked up, Flare stood right in front of him with a smirk on her face, and her black blade near his throat. Kai glared at Flare, but then he signed in defeat. Flare smiled, and then she lowered her weapon. "Well well Kai. Where's that eagerness you had moments before?" Flare asked and Kai responded, "You caught me off guard." Flare put a hand to her ear and said, "Oh, is that... an excuse I hear fire boy?" Before Kai could make a comeback, Sensei Wu intervened. "Well, since you two are done sparring, can you please clear the deck, so that Raven can go next." Kai and Flare turned and said, "Yes Sensei." They glared at each other and then moved out of the way so that Raven could spar next.

When Kai stood near the other guys, Jay said, "Wow Kai, I didn't think you were going to lose that quick, and to a girl-" "You know what, shut it up Jay," Kai retorted, and then Cole stepped in, "Whoa, calm down Kai. It was only a joke, and we all know that Jay is not funny when it comes to jokes." "Hey!" Jay exclaimed. Raven stood in the middle of the deck holding her Platinum Staff of Raining Waters. Then Sensei said, "So, who wishes to spar with Raven? Anyone besides Flare and Kai?" Cole, Zane, Jay, and Lloyd all looked at each other. "Well, who's it gonna be?" Cole asked first. "I'll do it," Jay said, and then he added, "Unless Lloyd would prefer to spar with his girlfriend." Lloyd blushed when he heard Jay refer to Raven as being his girlfriend. "She's not my girlfriend," Lloyd said and added, "She's a... close friend is all." Then Cole said, "Alright, alright, no need to get defensive Lloyd. As I said before, Jay's jokes-" "Don't say it!" Jay responded. Then the ninja turned their heads quick when they heard Sensei say, "Alright, let's begin."

When the ninja looked, Zane was standing in front of Raven with his ice sword, and Raven was standing with her water staff. Zane and Raven stood in their fighting stances. "I guess we can continue where we left off," Raven said, and Zane replied, "Agreed, this time we can fight fairly without threat of looming danger."

Raven swipped her water staff at Zane, which sent a wave of water in his direction. Zane was able to dodge the wave, and shot a rain of ice at Raven. She quickly dodged by backflipping, and as Zane ran towards her, Raven unleashed a water ball attack. Zane shot ice at the water ball, which froze it, and then he smashed it with his sword as he continued pursuing Raven. After seeing this, Raven turned and started to surf on water from her water staff that she held in front of her into the air. Then Raven turned and attacked Zane with a barrage of water pistols. Zane was able to freeze and dodge the water attacks, but after the last attack, he looked up to see that Raven was no longer above him. Zane started to look around when he felt something land on top of him. Zane hit the floor, and when he looked up, Raven was sitting on his back. Then Raven put her staff near Zane's face and said, "Gotcha!" Zane said, "How did you..." But before he could say anymore, everyone started to clap.

"Whoa Raven, you have pretty impressive techniques with that water staff." "Your pretty light on your feet." "You can actually surf in the air, with water! That's awesome!" Cole, Kai, and Jay said. Raven hopped off of Zane and extended a hand towards him, which he took to stand up. Then Zane said to Raven, "You are very agile and nimble, who trained you?" Raven replied, "My mother and father. Mostly my mom, and sometimes Flare's parents too. Even Auria and Christa- AAAhhh!" "Raven!" Zane yelled out when...


	8. Chapter 8 Battle for the Gem

**Chapter complete. Oh and remember, Ninjago and their characters belong to Lego not me, but the Oc characters like Raven belong to Me. I probably should've mentioned that earlier, but I forgot. ;) Enjoy. **

Suddenly, a yellow robotic hand grabbed Raven and hoisted her in mid flight. Lloyd yelled out, "Raven!" "Lloyd!" Raven called back, as the hand pulled her more to the front of the Bounty. Everyone ran to the bow of the ship, and they saw where the robotic hand originated from. It was a small, yellow flying contraption with a propellor above it, and it was shaped like a yellow disc but thicker. An old looking man was inside the disc cockpit, where he was contolling the hand. "HA HA! I finally caught the thief eh?" The man said. Raven looked up at the man a few feet above her and said, "Thief?! What are you talking about, I've never seen you before?!" Then the old man said, "Well, maybe not _you_ in particular, but the one who gave you the Gem of Ages. That thief, how dare she..." Then Raven remembered an older woman giving her the Gem of Ages about two years ago. "Wait, you know her?" Raven asked. The man replied, "Not really, all I know is that she _always _use to get in my way, but now that I have you and the Gem of Ages, I can go back to recking havoc on the world. Muhahahaha!"

"Hey! Bring her back!" "Yeah! Raven has nothing to do with your problems!" "She was given the Gem of whatever, so it's finders keepers!" "Put her down now!" Kai, Jay, Cole, and Flare yelled at the man. "It's the Gem of _Ages_!" The man yelled back and continued, "That gem is important. It can change a person's age to younger and older at will, and it doesn't interfere with time so it can help me rule the world at an age where I was the most gruesome-" "And the dumbest!" A voice called out that startled everyone. A cut was heard, and Raven went falling back on the Bounty's deck.

As Raven turned to see who saved her, she came eye to eye with Marcell. Raven backed up a bit and asked, "Marcell? What are you doing here? Why did you-" Marcell interrupted, "Because a fool like Carlo is the most annoying person to deal with. Trust me, my friend and I dealt with him before, and he was _extra_ annoying." Raven was about to ask Marcell something, when a larger robotic hand grabbed both girls, and transformed into a cage that dangled under Carlo's flying disc. "I see you've upgraded Carlo. I'm still not impressed!" Marcell yelled out, and Carlo replied, "And I see your still as obnoxious as ever Marcell. Well, I might as well kill two birds with one stone. Capturing the girl for the Gem of Ages, and capturing Marcell for a little pay back. Oh happy day! Hahahahahaha!"

As Carlo began to drive off, Lloyd took a dive towards the cage that held Marcell and Raven. He was able to grab on, and as he climbed up to the cable, Carlo spotted him. "Oh hoho, so you don't want to give up eh? We'll see about that," Carlo said. Lloyd was going to cut the cable... wait... _'Uh!__I don't have a sword to cut this__rope with, and I don't want to use my golden powers or Raven might get hurt,'_ Lloyd thought, then he heard a voice below him say, "I got your back Lloyd!" When Lloyd looked down, he saw Jay holding onto the cage with his lightening sword in hand. However, Carlo had pulled a switch and said, "I hope you like a little electricity!" The electricity traveled down the cable and even around the cage, but not within the cage so Raven and Marcell were unharmed. However, Lloyd and Jay were a bit shocked by the electric attack, mostly Lloyd was. "Lloyd! Jay!" Raven called out from within the cage. "It's ok Raven, it wasn't that bad. Besides, I'm kind of immune to it," Lloyd replied, but then Carlo said, "What?! Well then take some of this!" Carlo hit a few buttons and pulled another switch, which made more electricity flow from the cable and cage, and heat was now emitting from it too. Jay could stand the electricity, but the heat of the metal was too much for him to hold on any longer, so he let go of the cage. Before Jay could fall to his doom, Lloyd jumped down and held onto the bottom of the cage, while Jay held onto his legs. Lloyd was slowly losing his grip, but Jay's weight wasn't helping him. Raven and Marcell bent down from within the cage to look at Lloyd. Then Raven said with much concern, "Lloyd! Jay! Are you alright? Please, I don't want to see you guys get hurt!" "Just leave us you fools. We'll find a way out," Marcell said. Lloyd looked up at them, and he flipped his ninja hood off. Then Lloyd said, with much determination, "Raven! Marcell! I _will_ save you two! I won't leave you like this. I promise! " Lloyd looked down at Jay, and then he let go of the cage. "Lloyd! Jay!" Raven yelled out. Marcell was surprised as the Gold and Blue ninja went fallling to their doom. Carlo smirked and said, "About time they let go," and he continued driving his flying disc forward.

"Hey Lloyd. Now would be a good time TO CALL THE GOLDEN DRAGON TO SAVE US!" Jay yelled out. "Yeah right," Lloyd said, as he grabbed Jay's arm and was about to summon his dragon. However, right before Lloyd summoned the Golden dragon, they ended up landing on the Bounty's deck. The others ran up to them in relief seeing as Lloyd and Jay were unharmed. "Thank goodness your both alright," Misako said, as she helped Lloyd up from the ground. "Are you ok Jay?" Nya asked, and Jay replied, "Oh I'm alright. You know almost falling to your death wasn't HORRIFYING!" Then Lloyd said, "We need to save Raven and Marcell, fast!" Then Jay asked, "Hold on. Who's steering the Bounty?"

Down in the Main control room, Sensei Wu was steering the wheel, and following Carlo's tracks. "You won't get away so easily," Sensei Wu said, and Garmadon added, "That's right. You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!" "Let's get them back," Flare said, as she nudged her fist into her palm.

As Carlo was driving the flying disc, which was faster than the Bounty, he stopped at a nearby cliffside that was larger than you would think, like a baseball field size. He lowered the cage, pulled off the cable from the cage, and parked the flying disc off to the side. Then he stepped out of the vehicle, to reveal an old man with grey and brown hair, a grey and brown beard and mustache a little shorter than Sensei Wu's, blue pants with a trench coat, and glasses. He walked towards Marcell and Raven, and he smiled when he saw their scowls towards him. Then he said, "Well, how nice to have guests on my mountain. Now, would you be so kind younger one, as to hand over the Gem of Ages?" Carlo extended his hand, but Raven turned her head away and said, "I would never give you the Gem of Ages. You hurt my friends. I have nothing more to say or give you." Carlo chuckled and said, "Oh yeeeah..."

A few minutes later, Raven and Marcell were in two separate cages, dangling on a rock formation that curved like a "C" just above the floor. Carlo stood in front of Raven's cage and said, "Now give me the Gem of Ages." Raven shook her head, and Carlo said, "Alright, I didn't want to do this..." Carlo walked over to the side of the "C" formation and pulled a secret lever in the side of the wall, which opened the floor benealth Raven and Marcell to reveal a pit of boiling water. Then Carlo said, "You wouldn't want an accident to happen now would you Raven." Raven sneered and said, "Oh please, hot water doesn't bother me." Carlo replied, "Who said _you_ were going in for a dip?" Carlo looked at Marcell, who looked at him in disgust before saying, "You jerk!" "Am I?!" Carlo shouted, as he lowered Marcell's cage. Raven gasped and said, "No don't hurt Marcell! This is between you and me with the Gem of Ages!" Carlo sneered and said, "Oh I'm sorry, but if I don't get the gem, then Marcell plummets into the water. Oh and I'm sure she won't die, so I'll just keep raising and lowering her cage until you give me the gem." Carlo smiled wickedly, and Raven looked at him in surprise. Then Marcell yelled out, "Raven! Don't worry about me! Just don't give him the gem!" Raven about it, but then started to panik when Marcell dropped dangerously closer to the boiling water. Then Carlo taunted, "Aw, how nobel Marcell. We'll see how much more noble you are when you're boiling in the water-" "Wait please!" Carlo looked at Raven, who held the Gem of Ages in her hands. His eyes lit up as Raven said, "Fine. You win. Take the gem, just don't hurt anyone. Please." Carlo raised Marcell's cage, and closed the water floor. He approached Raven's cage cautiously, and snatched the gem out of her hand. "Finally! The Gem of Ages. Now I can accomplish a life long goal." Carlo switched the gem to the blue setting. Then he looked at Marcell and Raven, as he grinned darkly and said, "Since you two helped me to obtained the gem, I'll give you both an award." Carlo stood closer to the cages, and as he activated the gem, Marcell and Raven yelled out, "AAAHHH!"

As the Bounty followed where Carlo had flown by, Cole yelled out, "There they are!" The Bounty landed on the cliffside, close to the edge. The ninja immediately jumped off of the Bounty, while everyone else ran off the ramp.

As they approached the cages, they saw that two people were inside, but they looked like they were knocked out since they were on the floor. Lloyd, Flare, and Jay grabbed Raven's cage and brought it down, while Kai, Cole, and Nya grabbed Marcell's cage and brought it down. They placed the cages on the ground. Then Cole pried open Marcell's cage by two bars, and was shocked by what he saw. "Uh, guys?"

As they all gathered close to the cage, besides Lloyd, Flare, and Jay, a young female had stepped out of the cage holding her head. When she raised her head up, everyone gasped as they realized that the young girl was actually Marcell, in child form. Everyone's faces were in shock, and Marcell looked at them and then at herself. "Aw man, are you kidding me?!" Marcell said, with a voice of a child. "Great, just great! That jerk Carlo turned me into a child. When I get my hands on him, he'll pay ten fold!" "How is this possible? Is this the work of the Gem of Ages?" Sensei Wu asked, and Marcell answered but with annoyance, "Yes! This is the power of the Gem of Ages that fool was searching for, and now he has it. Darn it! He used me to get it from Raven." Marcell was more angered at herself for not seeing that coming.

Then Lloyd turned to Raven's cage, and pried open the cage bars himself. He reached in and picked up a young Raven, as he laid her down outside the cage. He removed his ninja hood, and stood looking at Raven in worry and sadness. The others walked over, and saw Raven in her child form. Then Raven stirred, and fluttered her eyes open. "Lloyd? Flare? Everyone. Mar- Marcell?!" Raven said, and she stood up and noticed that she was shorter than normal. Raven looked at her hands and realized that she was a child again, and that the Gem of Ages was gone. "Oh no..." was all Raven could muster. Then Kai said, "We're sorry Raven. We should've stopped Carlo when we had the chance." Raven looked up and said, "It's ok, Kai, everyone. Besides, now I'm my original age." Everyone looked at Raven questionably besides Lloyd, Flare, and Marcell. "Wait. You were always a kid? And you didn't tell us?" Jay asked, a little hurt. Raven rubbed her arm and said, "I'm sorry guys, it's just, you found me in my older form, and I'm not suppose to reveal the Gem of Ages to everyone. Also, I don't like when people look down on me because I'm young." Flare kneeled down in front of Raven and said, "Raven, whether your younger or older, it doesn't matter. You are still strong and awesome when you are being yourself. I don't look down on you because your young. Besides, it's the young ones that can become the strongest of us all." Raven slightly smiled at this, and then Zane said, "That's right Raven. When Lloyd was your age, he also felt that he was looked down upon because he was young." "Yeah, and none of us expect he was going to become the Green Ninja," Jay added. "And look at him now. He's stronger than any of us," Kai said. "_And_ he's the Golden Spinjitzu master," Cole added. Raven looked towards Lloyd, and he smiled and said, "It's true." Raven smiled back at Lloyd.

Then everyone turned around quick when they heard a familiar, annoying voice say, "So, you guys made it to my secret base on the cliffside, eh?" When everyone turned, they saw a man with short, dusty brown hair that stood straight up, a blue shirt with a black leather jacket and a white sash as a belt, along with blue pants that had chains instead of zippers, and he had the Gem of Ages around his neck. He stood with both hands on his sides, and a triumphed smirk on his face. Marcell stood forward, and snarled at the man, "CARLO! Turn me back to normal and give Raven the Gem of Ages!" Carlo put his hands in front of him mockingly and said, "Oooooh, I'm so frightened, the princess of vampires is going to hurt me with her baby teeth." Carlo started to laugh, which made Marcell furious. "THAT'S Carlo? I thought he was old?" Jay said. "He must have used the Gem of Ages to turn himself younger, like Raven and Marcell," Garmadon said.

Carlo held the Gem of Ages and turned it's settings red, as he said, with a cheeky grin, "You know, Marcell, wouldn't it be nice to be older again? Especially if you agree to be my queen." Marcell looked at Carlo with a disgusted and annoyed expression before saying, "You've got to be kidding me..." Then she called out, "I would rather walk through a road of coals and broken glass barefooted in the middle of July in the desert, than to EVER consider being your queen!" Carlo snickered and said, "Ok, ok then. Well, I'm just gonna have ta get rid of ALL of You!" Carlo pulled out a long, thin, blue-bladed sword with a red handle and readied his weapon. The other ninja pulled out their weapons and stood up to Carlo. Marcell and Raven were held back by Sensei Wu and Garmadon, since the girls wanted to fight, but the brothers didn't want them to get hurt.

The ninja, Flare, and Carlo began to fight one another. Flare and Kai attacked first with fire and energy shots, while Jay jumped over Carlo, and Zane and Cole ran to the sides of Carlo. After dodging the fire and energy attacks, Carlo saw that he was surrounded. Zane shot ice shards with his sword at Carlo, as he deflected the ice shards with a few flips and turns and slices of his sword. Then Cole used an earth attack from the ground, and while Carlo jumped to avoid it, he met face to face with Jay and his lightening sword. Carlo and Jay fought in mid air, until Carlo was able to kick Jay in the ribs, and send him off flying to the ground. Then Carlo landed while Zane and Cole jumped at him with their weapons, but Carlo started to break dance, and was able to kick Zane and Cole in such a way that they went flying in Jay's direction.

As Carlo grinned, Flare and Kai jumped in, and were each taking turns attacking him, while he blocked and dodged their barrage of attacks. Then Flare jumped back, and started charging her scimitar in one large blade. Kai jumped behind Carlo, and back kicked him towards Flare's direction. When he got his footing, Carlo saw that Flare had her sword charged, and was about to attack with a downward strike. However, Carlo raised his weapon to block in such a way, that when Flare striked it made Carlo slide back and avoid the full damage of the attack. Flare was surprised at that, but then Carlo jumped behind her, back kicked her up in the air, and then jumped and used an energy powered hand to hit Flare away. Kai started to fight with Carlo. '_Why is this guy so strong. How come we can't beat him?_' Kai thought, and Carlo kicked, punched, and grabbed Kai by his foot, and tossed him away. "Who's next?" Carlo said, when he turned to see Lloyd walking up to him in annoyance. "Ah, the Golden child comes to fight with me. I am honored, although, I hope you don't think badly of me," Carlo said with a devious smile, as Lloyd looked at him, questionably. Then Lloyd felt something clamp around his left wrist, as he looked at his arm and saw a transparent bracelet with a dark gem in the center resting on his wrist. "Huh?" Lloyd questioned, but then the bracelet activated and sparked. Lloyd tried to take the bracelet off, but to no avail. "What is this?" Lloyd asked Carlo. "Well, it's a special bracelet I made that latches on a powerful foe, and restrains them from using powerful attacks. I knew it would come in handy against you Golden ninja," Carlo said with his cheeky grin. Lloyd growled at Carlo, and then he breathed out and said, "Fine, I'll defeat you either way." Carlo snickered and said, "We'll see Golden ninja. I'm much stronger than I seem..."

During the fight, Wu and Garmandon stood in front of Raven and Marcell, watching the battle ensue. Then Marcell said, "Uh, I don't believe this. Watching from the side lines." Raven replied, "I know, I wish we could fight too." Then Raven thought about something, and turned to Marcell and asked, "Marcell, I've been meaning to ask you. Why did you try to help me before from Carlo?" Marcell turned to Raven after a moment to think, and said, "I-I'm not sure actually, I mean Carlo _is_ a big jerk, but I'm not sure why." Marcell looked away from Raven. Then Raven said, "Marcell, would you help me again?" Marcell looked at Raven with a skeptical look, but then she saw Lloyd land not too far from Raven. Raven turned around, and ran up to Lloyd, while Garmadon, Wu, and Marcell followed. Carlo started walking towards Wu, Garmadon, and Marcell with an arrogant smirk on his face. Wu and Garmadon started walking towards Carlo to protect Marcell, Raven, and Lloyd since he needed a moment to recover. Marcell wanted to fight, but she stood back to listen to what Raven and Lloyd were talking about.

"Lloyd," Raven said in worry. Lloyd looked at Raven, and said, "Raven, don't worry about me. Go on the Bounty and get out of here. I just need a minute... he hit me pretty hard in the stomach." Raven shook her head and said, "Lloyd I'm not leaving you. I still want to be by your side, even if I'm young, and we can only be friends." Raven looked away a little sad, although she didn't fully understand why. Lloyd kneeled down to Raven's height and said, "Raven, I know. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but I will never stop protecting you, no matter what happens, whether together or not." Lloyd and Raven looked down in sadness, which made Marcell's eyes widen. _'Oh my gosh,'_ Marcell thought and then continued to think, _'When he spoke to her before, as a vampire. He really meant what he said. Then that means he really has__feelings for Raven, and her for him... and, I was going to break them apart, for Big Boss? Raven's__such a sweet gal, and Lloyd, as I've seen, is a noble guy. Raven isn't evil, why would Big Boss even want her?__The only reason would be a bad one...but I have to finish the job... but I don't want to hurt them. What am I saying? I actually care about them... Lucy would care, she would care about them too. I know what she would say, and, I...'_ Marcell clenched her fist in anger at herself, as she looked at Carlo and thought, _'I was unaware of this, but Carlo... he's a jerk. He would have done something like this on purpose since he has the power... OH NO!'_ Marcell yelled in her mind, as she saw Garmadon and Sensei Wu get pushed back to where the other ninja where.

Then Carlo turned and grinned evilly at Marcell, Raven, and Lloyd, as he started to laugh, maniacally. Marcell turned to Raven and said, "Raven. Let's show this fool who _really_ deserves to own the Gem of Ages." Marcell smirked, as Raven nodded and stood up holding her water staff. Lloyd said, "But Raven, Marcell..." Marcell turned to Lloyd and said, "You should have more faith in Raven. She's more powerful than you think. Even as a kid, right Raven?" Raven replied, "Yes. Now it's _my_ turn to protect you Lloyd, and everyone else. Ready Marcell?" Marcell smirked and said, "Let's rock on."

Carlo saw that Raven and Marcell were approaching him. He started to laugh, as he said, "You've got to be kidding, right?! I mean come on, what are you two little _girls_ going to do to me- AAAHHH!" As Carlo ranted, Marcell had flipped in the air and jumped on his back while grabbing his two arms and pulling them back, which caused Carlo to yelp in surprise and pain. Carlo started running in circles while screaming, as Marcell called out to Raven, "Raven! Hurry up!" "I'm on it!" Raven said, as she ran towards Carlo to grab the Gem of Ages. However, Carlo noticed this, and he was able to kick Raven away from him. Lloyd called out to Raven, but in a few seconds, Raven was back on her feet. However, Marcell had been knocked off by Carlo, and now he was looking at Marcell while holding his sword. Right when Carlo was going to strike, Raven used her water staff to strike Carlo on his back. This temporarily left him vulnerable on the floor, while Raven ran and grabbed the Gem of Ages.

As Raven ran towards Marcell, Carlo stood up and yelled, "NOO!", while he ran aftre Raven and was able to throw himself forward, which made Raven trip over him and drop the gem. The gem rolled away a long distance opposite of where everyone was. Marcell, Raven, and Carlo looked towards each other, and then they all made a break to the gem. Carlo pushed Raven back by her forehead, as he chased after Marcell. Since he was bigger, he made it close to Marcell quick, however, Marcell turned and pile drived Carlo on the floor. They struggled for a while, until Carlo kicked Marcell off a few feet away.

As Carlo got up, he gasped when he saw Raven holding the Gem of Ages. Marcell looked up while picking herself up off the floor and smiled. Raven stared at the gem for a moment and then a memory of earlier that day came to mind: Flare and Raven were already awake on the Bounty's deck, they had awhile to talk while everyone else was sleeping.

("Hey Raven," Flare said, and Raven responded with a "Yes?" Flare continued, "I'm curious, Raven. Did you happen to tell the others about the Gem of Ages?" Raven looked down from where she was standing, since she and Flare were looking over the Bounty's side, even though Flare was leaning back on the rail. "Well. I told Lloyd about the gem, but not the others," Raven replied. "Can you trust him?" Flare asked, not looking in Raven's direction. Raven replied, "Of course I can trust him. He is true and honest." Flare snickered and said, "Yes I'm sure he is, but did you tell him about not actually being your current age?" "Yes, I told him, and he said that he wasn't his current age either. He said that a certain tea made him older," Raven replied. Flare thought about that for a moment, and then about certain events, and said, "Raven, do you really like him?" Raven was surprised by this question, so she asked, "What makes you think I do?" Flare replied, "Because I'm not ignorant and I can see how you both look at each other. Also, when he was a vampire he wanted you to be with him, and the other ninja know about that too." Raven eyes widened, as a light blush appeared on her face, but then she signed and said, "Yes. I do like him, very much." Flare turned over, and leaned on the rail with her elbows and said, "So you have to make a decision." "A decision?" Raven asked, looking questionably at her friend. "Yes. Are you going to stay as a child with time to be a kid, or, are you going to stay older and be able to be with Lloyd?" Flare asked. Raven was surprised by this, since she didn't think about it before. Then Raven signed after five minutes and said, "I don't know." Flare strugged her shoulders and said, "It's your decision Raven, but, just know... you may not have that gem forever, and you may not have the time to make a decide if you wait. When the time comes, will you be prepared to make a decision?" After ten minutes of just standing around, the other ninja came up from sleeping.)

Raven had her eyes closed as she thought about what Flare said, _'When the time comes, will you be prepared to make a decision?'_ Then Raven's eyes shot open, because now she knew the answer. Carlo saw this and quickly began running over to Raven, and when Marcell saw this she started running to defend her. As both people ran over to her, Raven raised the gem in the air and stood looking at both of them with a determined expression. After a few steps, Raven raised the gem higher, and that's when Carlo and Marcell knew what Raven was planning to do. "NOOO!" Carlo screamed out, and Marcell smiled and said, "Do it Raven!" Then Raven took the gem and slammed it on the floor, scattering the mystical jewel into pieces while a cloud of red had encased Marcell, Carlo, and herself, with a flash. The others looked in surprise, and they began to stand up and run over to the red cloud puff. Those on the Bounty also ran over to investigate the red flash and puff.

Everyone stood outside the perimeter of the red cloud smoke. Then the red cloud started to fade to pink and light pink until it diminished completely. Everyone looked and saw three people on the floor knocked out. They all ran to the three people and stood over them. Wu, Garmadon, Misako, Nya, and Dr. Julien stood near the old man Carlo. Cole, Kai, and Jay stood near Marcell, and Lloyd, Flare, and Zane stood near Raven.

As each person began to rise, Carlo was tied up with his head hanging low in surrender, and Marcell stood up rubbing her head. "What happened? Wait, I'm older again. YES! Woohoo! Ha! In your face Carlo!" Marcell said, as she raised her arms in fist of triumph and pointed at Carlo with one of her hands. Then Raven rose up, and low and behold, she was also older again. She was rubbing her head as Flare, Zane, and Lloyd helped her stand up. Lloyd picked up the water staff and handed it to Raven, which made her smile at him, as he smiled back. "It's good to see your alright," Flare said, and Raven nodded. "You are unharmed Raven?" Zane asked, and Raven smiled at Zane and said, "I'm fine Zane, actually..." Then Raven turned to Lloyd and said, "I feel wonderful." Lloyd and Raven looked at each other in happiness.

Then Marcell interrupted, "Ok, ok, guys let's get it together, everyone's alright. Now, I believe there is a town nearby who would love to see Carlo again." Carlo looked up at Marcell, and then his expression turned to horror as he saw Marcell look at him with devious expression that revealed her razor-sharp teeth. Then Carlo said in a shaking voice, "N-Not there. N-Not Pulverize P-Peak Town." Marcell snickered and said, "That's right. You stole a lot of stuff from those people, and committed acts of treachery and mutiny against that town. I'm sure they would love to see you again, when they put you in jail for your crimes." Carlo looked around and saw that everyone was looking at him like 'shame shame.' Then he bowed his head and mumbled, "Ooohhhh."


	9. Chapter 9 The Hooded Stranger

**Since I'm attending college now, I will take a little while longer to post chapters since I'm rereading and editing them. Enjoy.** **;)**

After sending Carlo to Pulverize Peak Town and hanging around the town, the Bounty was back on track in the skies, heading towards Aeroplane. Everyone was on deck since the Bounty was on auto pilot. Marcell was there as well, sitting on the railing of the Bounty looking out to the open sky and fields below. The others were quiet for a while, until Jay spoke, "Um guys?" He spoke low so that Marcell wouldn't hear, "Isn't it odd to let Marcell stay with us? After all, wasn't she like, our enemy yesterday or something?" Flare uncrossed her arms and said, "I know right? Why do we let her stay? I mean, even though she did help us, what if she's still after Raven?" Then Misako replied, "Even though Marcell did try to take Raven away, she still helped us to save Raven from Carlo, and find a place to put him where he wouldn't bother us again. Also, she hasn't done anything so far to harm any of us..." Then Cole said, "Well yeah she did help us, especially to haggle for cheaper stuff to buy at that town, but we can't totally trust her."

As everyone debated this, Raven approached Marcell. "Marcell?" she said, in a soft tone, so as not to startle the Vampire Queen. Marcell turned towards Raven and said, "What's up?" Then Raven said, "Thank you." Marcell tilted her head in confusion and asked, "For what?" "For helping save everyone from Carlo, for finding a place to put him, and for getting us some stuff from the town. You really came through for us, even more than expected," Raven replied. Marcell shrugged her shoulder and said, "Eh, it's what I do at times." Then Raven asked, "Do you still want to kidnap me?" Marcell thought about it, and then said, "No." Raven raised her eye brows and said, "Really? But I thought you worked like an assassin." Marcell raised an eye brow while looking at Raven like 'What?' Then Raven rubbed the back of her head and said, "Uh, never mind the last part." Marcell looked up at the sun since it was near setting. Then Marcell spoke, "Raven, I only do jobs for people who pay well and can help me to help my people. Before meeting you guys, I didn't really care about the people I dealt with or too much about my employer. I just did what I had to do to get the job done and then go back home. However, even I have morals. I wouldn't kill people, or harm innocent people, intentionally," Marcell smirked, and Raven was a little surprised. Marcell continued, "But, after meeting you guys, seeing how much you all care for each other, and how much you and Lloyd care for one another... I guess I had, what you call, a change of heart." Marcell smiled at Raven, nicely, and Raven smiled back.

Then Marcell hopped off the rail and went with Raven to where everyone else was. "Marcell, we would like to thank you for assisting us earlier," Sensei Wu said, as he stroked his long, white mustache-beard. "Eh, it was no trouble," Marcell said, and then she thought about it and said, "Well, actually, this was a troublesome day, but nonetheless. I actually liked working with you guys, and I find it in my best interest to continue assisting you foo- I mean, you guys in your quest." Everyone was surprised. "I know I have committed acts against you guys that were pretty bad..." Marcell said, and then Kai said, "You mean bad as almost costing us our common sense?" "Kai," Nya said, as she glared a little at him. "Well it's true," Cole added, and Nya shot a look at Cole. "No, no, it's ok Nya," Marcell said, with one hand raised up "I deserved that. It's just, I will do anything to protect and nourish my vampire people, especially my little sister. I'm sorry for causing trouble among your group. Yet, you guys really opened my eyes, and reminded me of how my sister and I are towards each other. We protect each other, defend one another, and above all we love each other. I... thank you all for helping me to realize the error of my ways. I wish to repay you all by helping you defend yourselves against Big Boss." Everyone listened carefully to what Marcell had to say, and they all saw how sincere she was. Misako stepped forward towards Marcell and said, "Marcell, thank you for your apology, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we accept it, and your offer to assist us." Misako smiled at Marcell, and Marcell smiled back. She looked at the others, seeking their approval. Dr. Julien said, "I think it's a good idea for Marcell to help us, and this will be a good time for me to learn more about vampires and their customs." Garmadon and Sensei Wu nodded in approval. Jay, Zane, and Cole looked at each other, and then they nodded. Jay nudged Kai on the shoulder, who was looking the other way, and then Kai signed and said, "Yeah, the more the merrier, but I'll be keeping on eye on you though." Marcell smiled and bowed, which made the ninja more surprised considering that they didn't realize how polite she could be. Nya smiled and said, "Well, it's good to know that we have allies." Then Lloyd said, "Yeah. Marcell, if you've got our back, then we've got yours too." Marcell nodded and said, "Thanks guys, but..." Then she turned towards Flare, who had an annoyed expression on her face. Marcell spoke to the Orange Kunoichi saying, "Flare, I'm very sorry for causing havoc in your kingdom. I do hope you'll forgive me for my insolence and folly." Flare looked at Marcell, and then she looked away while pouting. Then Flare looked towards Raven, who looked at her with an unintentional cute face, which made Flare consider Marcell's apology. Flare walked up to Marcell, and extended her hand towards her. Marcell smiled, and then shook Flare's hand. "You are forgiven, Marcell," Flare said, as she stood back and smiled a little. Then, a tune was heard from Marcell's pocket. When she reached in her pocket and pulled out the source of the music, everyone's eyes widened, even Marcell's, by who was calling.

Marcell stared at her phone for a few seconds, and then she looked at everyone else. They stood silent, and then Sensei Wu waved his hand, signaling Marcell to answer the phone. Marcell nodded and answered the phone call. "Hey Big Boss, what's up?" Marcell put the phone on speaker so that the others could hear. "Hello Marcell, it's so nice to speak with you again," Big Boss said. "Yeah, it's pretty nice huh? So anyway, what's going on Big Boss, you need something?" Marcell asked. Then Big Boss replied, "I was wondering if you had any knowledge of the whereabouts of Raven?" Marcell looked at Raven and said, "Well, yeah, I believe I may know her location..." Then Big Boss said, "Oh good, well, I need to know where she is. I've decided to capture her myself." Everyone's mouths opened in surprised, and then Marcell said, "Whoa, hold on Big Boss, you said_I_ was suppose to capture Raven." Then Big Boss replied, "I know I did Marcell, I will still give you an award for effort, but I'll take it from here, ok?" Then Marcell said, "Well, Big Boss I'm surprised you would take such an arduous task-" Big Boss interrupted and said, "Well Marcell I have other jobs that I think you would work better in, especially if your sister's welfare hanged in the balance." Marcell froze in place, and everyone on the deck gasped, but low so that the woman on the phone wouldn't hear. Marcell cleared her throat and said, "What do you mean my sister's 'welfare'?" Big Boss chuckled and said, "Oh Marcell, you think I haven't been watching you since you stepped foot in Pulverize Peak Town? I saw you with the ninja and their people. I shouldn't be surprised though. However, I prefer to have people who would work for me with their _COMPLETE_ compliance. I'm sure you understand perfectly right? After all, I know you care for your younger sister dearly, and you wouldn't want her to be harmed because of _your_ lack of cooperation, eh?" Marcell stood frozen in place. Then Big Boss said, "By your silence I think we have an understanding. Return to your vampires and I will give you further instruction later. Oh, and one more thing... Don't worry Raven, I'll see you soon. Hehehehehe..." The phone call was disconnected, and everyone stood was shocked at what just occured. _'How did she know Raven was listening?' 'What's going on?' 'This is crazy...'_ These were the thoughts in everyone's minds.

Marcell flipped her phone closed, and then she turned and walked to the edge of the railing and hopped on top of it. Raven moved towards Marcell and said, "Marcell." Marcell turned around, and in her eyes you could see the hurt, worry, and anger, but the rest of her face had a serious expression. Raven saw all of Marcell's emotions in her eyes, and she felt a pain inside her heart. Then Marcell signed, and stood tall as she said, "The situation has become increasingly dire. They have my sister now. _She_ has her... I'm sorry, but I must flee. When we meet again, please... don't hold back." As Marcell turned to go, Raven once again called out to Marcell. Marcell slightly turned her head to Raven, and gave her a one last sorrowful look, and then she disappeared. Everyone stood in certain shock and sympathy, especially Raven, who felt much sadness from this new affliction.

The sun was setting, and everyone on deck was silent for a while. Raven stood looking out from the bow of the ship. She wanted to be alone for awhile so no one stood near her. The sky began to turn a number of shades of orange, red, and purple. Nya steered the Bounty to a nearby rock structure that was right next to a forest area.

As everyone entered the Bounty, Lloyd and Flare stood on deck with Raven. Raven looked up at the dark night sky in silence. Lloyd and Flare gave Raven time to clear her mind of the trouble she felt. Then Flare put her hand of Raven's shoulder and whispered it was time to go inside. At first, Raven was reluctant, but then she gave in, knowing that it was best to go inside and rest.

As Raven was about to walk passed Lloyd, she turned and hugged him. Lloyd was a little surprised, but he hugged her back, knowing that her mind was in distress, and that she needed a hug to ease her tension.

Then, Raven and Flare entered the Bounty. Lloyd stood outside the Bounty, looking up at the stars, trying to clear his mind as well. '_Why is all this happening now? What is Big Boss' plan? Who else is she working with?'_ He thought.

As Lloyd turned to enter the Bounty, he felt a disturbance in the calm air of the night. He looked over the Bounty's railing and saw a person in a black hood standing not too far from the Bounty. Lloyd gasped, as he saw the person turn and walk into the forest. Then Lloyd thought, _'Could they be who I think they are? Big Boss?!'_ Lloyd's expression became determined, as he put on his ninja hood and took off to pursue the mysterious person.

Raven and Flare had entered their room, when Flare sensed a disturbance outside the Bounty, and immediately gasped. The other girls in the room saw this and looked at Flare. "Flare? What's wrong?" Nya asked. "I sense..." Flare continued, "I sense a dark presense outside the Bounty..." "Outside?" Misako asked. "Yes, a dark presence, and a light one following it." Raven's eyes widened and she said, "Lloyd."

Outside, Lloyd was still pursuing the hooded person, as he used the trees to jump faster. Then Lloyd landed on the floor behind some tall ferns. He pushed through the ferns and saw the hooded person with the wind blowing through their cape, standing near a ledge. Beyond the ledge was shimmering rivers flowing horizontally pass the trees, and on the left side was a mountainous range and a few hills on the far right.

Lloyd slowly approached the hooded person and said, "Hey!" The hooded person turned their head slightly and replied, "What do you want?" Lloyd was a bit surprised because this hooded person's voice was that of a male, which means it wasn't Big Boss. Then Lloyd asked, "Who are you? Why were you spying on us?" The hooded person turned back around, however, their face was covered by the hood which formed a shadow so that only their mouth was visible. The person spoke, "It doesn't matter right now. Besides, it's rude to ask for someone's name before saying your own." Lloyd looked at the hooded stranger questionably, then the stranger said, "I serve under the Big Boss, as you know her." Lloyd raised his guard and said, "So your after Raven too?" The stranger turned to look at Lloyd and said, "You can say that, yes, but I don't wish to fight right now." Lloyd stood his ground, not trusting the hooded stranger. Then the stranger pulled out a little yellow folder from his pocket and placed it on the floor. He said, "For now, I leave you with this, but do not speak of it to my boss. Only the others in your group may know about this." The stranger turned to leave, and Lloyd called out, "Hey, who are you? and what are you trying to pull?" The stranger turned to Lloyd and said, "I'm not doing anything to harm you or your friends. Good bye." Before Lloyd could run up to him, the hooded stranger disappeared into the night.

Lloyd stood there for a moment to see if the stranger would return, and then he picked up the yellow folder. Before Lloyd could open it, he heard something russle in the bushes of fern. "Lloyd! Are you here?!" It was Kai who called out, and then the ninja all came out of the forest. "There you are Lloyd," Jay said, as everyone approached Lloyd. "Lloyd," Raven said, as she squeezed through Zane and Flare and walked up to the Golden ninja. "Oh, hey guys. sorry for running off like that," Lloyd said, as he rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "Dude, what the heck? We worried about you," Flare said, and then Lloyd replied, "I'm sorry, it's just..." Lloyd looked at the yellow folder, and then Flare walked passed Lloyd closer to the edge of the cliff. "Where did the other person go?" Flare said, not really asking anyone. Lloyd turned and said, "He's gone, and he left this behind." Lloyd showed the yellow folder to everyone, and they looked in curiosity as he started to open it. "Be careful," Raven said, as Lloyd gave her a quick glance and said, "Don't worry, I got it." Another folded paper slipped out from within the folder, and Lloyd unfolded it to reveal two yellow tickets and a pamphlet that read:

SECRET EVIL MEETING! Come join us all evil doers and ruffians for an extraordinary meeting of great darkness. There will be food and beverages. One leader and three others for each ticket. No exceptions! One month from now!

After reading the pamphlet, the ninja stared at each other, as if looking for an answer, but no one spoke. Then Flare said, "Well, this might answer some questions we have about Big Boss." "What makes you think that?" Jay asked, and Flare pointed to the bottom of the page. "'Invitation only, by order of Big Boss'," Flare said, and then Jay said, "Oohh." Raven looked at the pamphet, then at Lloyd and said, "Why did that guy give this to you?" Then Cole asked, "And who is he?" Lloyd looked back at the pamphlet and said, "I don't know."

After returning to the Bounty, and showing Sensei Wu, Garmadon, Misako, and Dr. Julien the pamphlet, and Lloyd explaining his encounter with the hooded person, everyone stood thinking a moment in the control room. The night was still young, but that didn't make anyone feel less tired. Then Sensei Wu said, "This may be our only lead to find out what Big Boss is planning. It may be dangerous, but we have no other choice but to attend that meeting. We have at least a month to prepare." Then Kai asked, "Why would that guy want to help us anyway? I mean, _if_ he's trying to help us..." Then Misako replied, "We don't know why he did this, but he gave us an opportunity to find out what's really going on. I suggest we take it while we can." Garmadon added, "That's right. We may not have another opportunity like this one. We don't have any other leads." "Then we'll just have to train hard and see what we can learn from this evil meeting," Flare said, as she stood up from sitting down. "Yeah, and if it _is_ a trap, then at least we'll be ready for it," Cole said, which made everyone nod towards each other in approval. "Then let's all get some rest. We still have a whole day tomorrow to travel to Aeroplane," Sensei Wu said. Then everyone turned in for the night.


	10. Chapter 10 Training Sessions

The next morning was pretty normal for a change. No vampire attacks, no evil schemes being tried out, and no uncovering dark plans. It was a normal day altogether, besides Kai and Flare 's rivalry.

When Kai woke up, he came face-first into a pie that Flare prepared and set, so that when Kai would sit up, the pie would be flung into his face. The other guys were to laughing, while Flare was seen by Kai near the front of the bedroom door, giggling. Of course, Kai wouldn't let her get away with that so easily.

Later, after breakfast, the ninja went on deck. However, when Flare walked on deck, she ended up getting soaked by a bucket full of water, that Kai poured on her from above the entranceway. She looked up at Kai, as he laughed his head off at her angered expression, and the others on the deck were trying to hold in their laughs. Flare went back into the Bounty to get dried off in her room, and to change into her spare clothes. _'Oh, it's on now Kai!'_ Flare thought while she traveled back on deck to train with the others.

Duting training, Raven was able to best Kai and Cole pretty easily, since she was able to weaken their attacks or extinquish them with her own water attacks. However, Jay wasn't so easy, since he used lightening and the water conducted his electrical attacks, which could've harmed Raven if she tried to surf on the water. However, Raven was able to control her water from a distance and, while her water was charged with Jay's lightening, she was able to use it to deal even heavier damage on Jay, and eventually defeat him.

At the end of the battle, some electrified water was still on the floor, and Flare pushed Kai into it, which ended up shocking Kai and starching his clothes. Everyone started to laugh, as Kai struggled to get into the Bounty with his stiff clothes, while glaring at Flare at the same time.

Flare was also able to fight Cole, Jay, and Zane. She was able to best Jay and Zane pretty easily, however, Cole was pretty difficult to defeat. However, Flare was able to outsmart Cole twice, which ended the fight with Flare holding her scimitars in an 'X' position near Cole's neck with a smirk. Cole gulped in nervousness.

After Raven and Flare sparred with the four ninja, their last test of their abilities was fighting with Lloyd. Flare went first.

"Alright boy," Flare said, with a smirk and continued, "Show me why they call you the 'Master of Spinjitzu'."

Lloyd also smirked, as he and Flare put on their ninja hoods and stood in fighting stances. Flare's hood was like the ninja's, but the armor on the forehead was actually like a mask just around the eyes.

"Begin," Sensei Wu said, and took a sip of tea.

Flare attacked first with two strikes of light and dark energy, in slashes, in Lloyd's direction. Lloyd was able to dodge the attack by jumping over it, and then he shot fire in Flare's direction. Flare was able to dodge the attack, and then she ran up to Lloyd and tried to attack him. Lloyd dodged Flare's attacks, and then he tried to attack with a lightening bolt, which Flare blocked herself against with her black scimitar, as she slid back a little. Then Flare fused her scimitars together as one large blade. She ran to the large center pole of the Bounty, jumped on it, and pushed herself off of it, as she slashed her scimitar-blade at Lloyd. Lloyd just barely dodged the K.O. move, and he kicked Flare at her side. Flare did a cart wheel and was able to land on her feet while separating her swords and holding both in each hand. Then Lloyd started running in Flare's direction, and she jumped back, crossed her arms across her chest and slashed her swords letting out two large energy slashes of black and white in an 'X' form. Lloyd saw this and he said, "Ninja GO!" He used his spinjitzu on the energy slashes which made the energy slashes spin along with him. Flare was surprised by this, and then she went flying back when Lloyd stopped spinning and was able to redirect Flare's attack right back at her. Everyone was amazed, especially Flare. She stood on one knee, as Lloyd stood right in front of her and extended his hand. Flare looked at Lloyd's hand, but she picked herself up, so Lloyd put his hand back at his side.

"I can see why _your_ the Golden Spinjitzu Master," Flare said as she removed her hood and bowed her head to Lloyd.

Then Lloyd removed his ninja hood and said, "I can see why _your _the Fire Princess of the Volcanic Kingdom." Flare smirked when she heard him refer to her as 'Fire Princess'.

"That I am," Flare replied, and then she added, "But, can you defeat the Water Princess of the Viporeons?"

Flare looked towards Raven as well as Lloyd, and Raven smirked in a 'I'm ready to fight' smirk.

Lloyd and Raven stood in fighting positions with their ninja hoods on, Raven's hood being similar to Flare's. After Sensei said "Begin," the two took a moment to have a stare down. Then Raven circled her staff like a windmill in one hand, and then she grabbed her staff with both hands and jumped up while she spinned around three times. The water from her staff made a circular flow of water moving upward, as Raven ascended higher with the jump. Then Raven jumped up at the top of the water spiral and surfed on it downward, gaining momentum, as the water she passed by followed her same direction in a line. When Raven made it to the bottom of the water stream, she went surfing straight towards Lloyd's direction with great speed. Lloyd stood his ground ready to attack or dodge, but then Raven turned to her right and started to circle around Lloyd with the water stream that followed her, trapping him in one area on the deck. Everyone looked on in amazement, as Kai finally returned with normal clothes and also stared in awe. Raven went up in the air, separating herself from the water spiral, and she charged downward at Lloyd with her water staff. Lloyd's hands glowed gold and green, as he braced himself for the impact of the attack. Then Raven's attack clashed with Lloyd's hands, as he held onto the water staff, while Raven tried to add more pressure to her attack.

After a moment of struggling, Raven flipped back and landed on her feet. Lloyd stood in a fighting position, and Raven ran to the beginning of the water spiral and went surfing upward as Lloyd did the same, yet he used ice as his way of surfing up the water stream. Raven and Lloyd continued moving up the water spiral, until they made it to the end. Raven jumped up while spinning in the air, as Lloyd also jumped up towards Raven. However, Raven charged her water staff while spinning in the air, and then she turned and sent a wave of water in Lloyd's direction, as she descended from her mid-flight. Lloyd saw this, but he wasn't able to dodge, so he blocked and let the water hit him, as he descended downward. Everyone gasped, but then they were relieved when Lloyd did a back flip and landed safely on deck. Raven also landed safely with her water, and then Lloyd and Raven stared at each other for a moment before charging towards each other at the same time. Raven and Lloyd moved to their rights at the same time, and then they both jumped to their lefts and spinned once towards each other, both with charged up right hands, one of golden-green energy and the other of water, and clashed, which left them struggling to gain control for a moment in mid-air.

Then Lloyd used his other hand to grab Raven's wrist, which surprised her, as Lloyd said, "Ninja GO!" He used his spinjitzu while holding Raven's arm, and then he released her which sent her flying and unto the floor, her staff not too far off. Raven was dizzy for a moment, but then she came to as she sat up. Lloyd stood in front of her, as he held onto her staff in one hand.

He extended his other hand to Raven while saying, "Are you okay?"

Raven looked at Lloyd in surprise, and then she smiled, as she took Lloyd's hand and stood up.

"I'm fine," Raven said.

Then Raven removed her hood and said, "Your incredible."

Lloyd removed his hood and handed Raven her staff while saying, "You are too."

Raven and Lloyd exchanged a smile, and they looked towards the others who were completely speechless.

Sensei Wu spoke up, "That was-"

But he was cut off when Jay called out, "Awesome!" with his arms in the air.

Raven and Lloyd walked up to the others, but they didn't have to walk any further since the ninja ran up to them. "You guys are amazing!" -Jay

"I've never seen a fight like that." -Kai

"Your performance was most astounding." -Zane

"My eyes are bewildered by the grace and epicness you two displayed." Flare

"That was awesome!" -Nya

"That was cool!" -Cole

Lloyd rubbed the back of his head and Raven looked to the side, both a little embarrassed with smiles on their faces. The older people stood up, as they watched Lloyd and Raven thank their friends for their complements.

"They're both really amazing aren't they?" Garmadon said.

"Yes, they're both masters of their elements," Misako said.

Then Dr. Julien said, "Imagine if Raven knew spinjitzu, and Flare as well. They would both be even more exemplary then they are now. Of course, even if they faced off against Lloyd with spinjitzu, that would be much more of a challenge for him."

Sensei Wu stroked his beard-mustache, and then he walked towards the ninja.

"Well, this has been a very interesting turn of events. I believe we have two very skilled fighters here. Flare and Raven, how would you two like to learn spinjitzu?" Sensei Wu asked.

Raven and Flare looked at each other thinking about it, while Cole nugged Kai in the stomach before he protested against Flare learning spinjitzu.

"Hey, how come you never asked if _I _wanted to learn Spinjitzu?" Nya asked.

"You never asked, Nya, and I believe you forged your own destiny by becoming a Samurai. Also, you already know Spinjitzu don't you?" Sensei Wu said, as Nya smiled and nodded.

Raven and Flare nodded at one another, and they stood before Sensei Wu.

Flare said, as they both bowed, "We would be honored to learn the ways of spinjitzu, old ma- Sensei Wu."

Sensei nodded and said, "Alright, you girls shall be addressed as 'Kunoichi,' female ninja. Your official training on spinjitzu will begin tomorrow. For now, you'll all have the rest of the day off."

The five ninja signed in relief. After a few minutes, everyone went to enter the Bounty to do what they wanted to do for the rest of the day. However, Sensei Wu told Raven that he wanted to speak to her alone.

Everyone went inside the Bounty, leaving Raven and Sensei alone on deck, as the Bounty flew across the sky. Sensei Wu was looking out at the view, and Raven was also looking out, waiting for him to speak.

Then Sensei Wu signed, turned towards Raven, and said, "I had a vision a few days ago. You were in it, and so was Lloyd, but I don't want to tell him about it just yet. I don't want him to get worried."

Raven turned towards Sensei Wu with a serious, but worried expression on her face, as she nodded for Sensei Wu to continue speaking.

Then Sensei signed again and said, "I saw a candle lit in the center of a room. It was very small, but then it started to grow bigger and brighter. Then I saw you and Lloyd dancing together with a spot light just on you two. After that, I saw you backed up against a wall as a darkness was creeping towards you, and you were screaming out,"Stay away from me." The last part of my vision was of you laying on the floor, unconscience, and Lloyd stood in front of you, trying to protect you from a hooded figure surrounded by darkness. The hooded figure pulled out an orb that looked like the Viporeon pearl, but the pearl was a pale purple and it wasn't glowing as it does."

Raven was too disturbed and surprised by the vision to utter a sound. After the last part of the vision was told, Raven pulled out the Viporeon pearl from her pocket in all it's glowing brilliance. Raven looked at the pearl for a while.

Then Sensei said, "Raven, does this vision mean anything to you?"

Raven thought about it for a while, and then she said, "I don't know what the vision means. The only part that stands out to me is the Viporeon pearl and the darkness coming for me. I mean, Big Boss is still after me so the darkness makes sense. The fire in the room I don't know, and Lloyd and me dancing, well, I do like dancing, but I don't know what that has to do with anything, but the Viporeon pearl not glowing..."

Raven looked at the pearl and stroked it as she said, "I think, maybe, my father may know what it means. He should, and the other Viporeons. After we go to Aeroplane, we can travel to my home. It should be about one day to get there from Aeroplane, and the same if we went to Flare's home from there."

Sensei Wu nodded and said, "Alright, after we go to Aeroplane, we'll head straight to your homeland and see if your father or the Viporeons know the meaning of the pearl's caliginous behavior."

Then Sensei Wu proceeded into the Bounty, while Raven stood behind looking at the Viporeon pearl. After Raven set the pearl in her pocket, she turned to see Nya and Flare stepping on the deck and walking towards her. Raven welcomed her friends and asked what they were up to.

Flare spoke first, "Well, we heard that Nya was able to learn spinjitzu..."

"Yeah, it happened during the final battle, I kinda turned evil for a while because Garmadon had poisoned me with pure evil. So when I went to fight the guys, I somehow learned how to use spinjitzu," Nya said.

Raven was intrigued by this, but then she asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

Flare and Nya exchanged glances, and then looked at Raven.

"Well," Flare began, "I was thinking Nya here can try to teach us spinjitzu first, and then when we train tomorrow it would be a cinch. Especially when I use my spinjitzu on Kai."

Raven shook her head slowly and smiled, knowing that Flare wanted to get back at Kai for...

"Wait, I thought you already got Kai before," Raven said.

Flare's expression became annoyed as she said, "While he was fixing his clothes, Kai went into our room. He put old, stinky cheese inside my pillow, and now my pillow and bed sheets smell terrible! He removed some if the feathers from the pillow and used them to put together letters on the floor that read, 'Gotcha!'"

Flare crossed her arms in aggrivation, as Nya and Raven started to giggle. Flare shot them a glare.

Then Nya said, "Sorry about that Flare, I'll give you new sheets and a pillow after I teach you what I know about spinjitzu."

The training begins...


	11. Chapter 11 Concealed and Revealed

Within Ninjago city, unintentional trouble was brewing. Below the city, in the underground tunnels that Skales was once digging through, a lone Viporeon Constrictai was wandering around within it's depths. She had taken a nap, when the Viporeons were listening to Anaca's speech about leaving Raven with the ninja. Then the Viporeons had fled the city in haste, as to not cause trouble anymore trouble, which left the poor little Constrictai all alone. She traveled through the caverns, when she came across a large rock formation that was similar to a door. She touched this door, while looking up in amazement at the inscription, and clicked a switch, which made the rock wall rise up.

Upon seeing this, the Viporeon Constrictai ran to a nearby wall and dug herself inside. However, she was able to block herself with dirt, as a way of concealing herself while she watched as familiar figures were emerging from behind the open door. One of them wore a crown on his head, as he looked around the area beyond to see who freed them. Then, he chuckled to himself as he told the others to make a path towards the surface. The Viporeon realized her mistake of opening the door, but then she thought of something that made her grin, as she made her way towards the surface.

Above the area where the Serpentine were freed, a certain brown ninja was walking along the road.

_'I can't believe it...'_ He thought.

Then he said, "They went on a journey without me? The Brown Ninja Dareth! Oh the shame of it all! How my fellow ninja just took off without taking me along with them..."

Dareth stopped walking when he saw the man-hole cover slide up and off the man-hole about two feet from him. His eyes widened, as he saw what looked to be a Constrictai rise up from below the man-hole.

_'Wait a minute, is that a snake? But it looks... not like how the ninja described them, that much,' _Dareth thought.

Then Dareth approached the Constrictai slowly, and jumped back when she turned to look at him. The Viporeon Constrictai yelped, which made Dareth yelp, as she ran to an alley and hid behind the wall. Dareth was confused by this, and he cautiously walked over to where the Constrictai was hiding.

"Hey, are you... okay?" Dareth said, as the Constrictai backed away from him. "It's ok, I won't hurt you," Dareth said, as he extended an arm to the Constrictai who was still afraid. Then Dareth said, "Hey, don't worry, I'm a good guy." He put on his ninja hood and said, "I'm the Brown Ninja!"

Dareth posed, as he said this with his head tilted up and to the side and his hands super hero style. The Constrictai looked at Dareth, and she started to giggle pretty loudly.

Dareth looked at the Constrictai and said, "Hey, what's so funny?"

"The Brown ninja?" The Constrictai said, as she continued to laugh.

Dareth took off his ninja hood and rubbed his head like 'Oh come on' until he heard people crying out for help. Dareth turned to go, but then he turned to the Constrictai who was once again scared, but from the people's cries.

He asked, "Hey, your coming or what?"

The Constrictai tilted her head in confusion, but then she straightened herself, and followed the Brown Ninja to the source of the screams.

Apparently, Skales and his army of snakes rose above the surface and were walking the streets of Ninjago city, scaring people away as they traveled.

"We mussst hurry back to Ouroborusss, before thossse petty ninja appear," Skales said, as the other Serpentine followed behind him.

Then one of the pedestrians who was running yelled out, "Snakes! Why did the ninja leave us at this time!"

As the man ran off, Skalidor heard what he said, and he turned to Skales and said, "Um, Skaless, I don't think the ninja are here."

Skales turned to Skalidor and said, "I am the Sssnake Ki- Wait, the ninja are gone, are you cccertain?"

Skalidor replied, "Well, that man who ran off ssaid the ninja had left."

Skales thought about this, and said, "Well we shouldn't take any chancccesss now. We'll take the opportunity for vengeanccce upon Ninjago another time."

"Are you sure Skalessss? They're vulnerable now," Acidicus said.

"Yesss I'm sure, now let's go," Skales said, impatient.

"There'sss the bussss," Fangpyre said, pointing to a bus that stopped at the bus stop, unaware of the army of Serpentine not too far away.

Skales led the Serpentine to the bus and was able to hitch a ride, which they stole once the bus driver opened the door and they kicked him out. Dareth and the Viporeon Constrictai watched, as the Serpentine drove the bus out to the desert.

Dareth looked on and said, "Oh great! They're going to come back, where's the ninja when you need them..."

Then the Viporeon said, "But aren't _you_ a ninja?"

Dareth turned around hastily and said, "Well, um, of course I'm a ninja, but I, uh, eh hem, a ninja shouldn't have to fight alone without his friends by his side. That's the way of the ninja you know."

The Viporeon was impressed by the Brown ninja's statement and said, "Oh, you truly are of noble character, Brown ninja."

Then Dareth said, "I know right? Um, you can call me Dareth."

"My name isss Tempara. It'sss a pleasssure to meet a fine ninja like yourssself."

Then Dareth said, "Oh well I wouldn't say 'a fine ninja'. Well actually I would, probably."

Then Tempara turned to the side with a sad expression.

Dareth noticed this and asked, "Hey, what's the matter?"

Then Tempara said, "Well, I'm a long journey away from home, and sssince I wassss ssseparated from the other Viporeonssss, I have no idea where they might be. They probably went home, but I don't know if I could make it home alone..."

Dareth thought, _'Viporeons? Hm... should I help her, or should I just walk away? But she knows I'm the Brown ninja and that wouldn't be right to leave her alone...'_

Dareth lifted his head up high and said, "Well Tempara you came to the right ninja. I will help you venture back to where ever it is that you live, and then I can go back to protecting Ninjago- Aaahh!"

Tempara hugged Dareth and said, "Oh thank you ssssoo much Dareth!"

Then the Viporeon grabbed the Brown ninja by the arm and said, "Let'sss go quickly then!"

Then Dareth said, while being dragged, "Okay okay, but I need to get a few things before we go for the journey-" "Okay then!" Tempara said, as she went behind Dareth and pushed him forward. "Where do you live?" She asked.

Dareth replied, "At the dojo, turn left. No, your other left, and turn right- watch out for that crack! Ok go right..."

So Dareth and Tempara went to Dareth's dojo, and afterward they began their journey to Tempara's home land.

-Back to the Bounty-

As day turned to night, Nya, Raven, and Flare were pretty exhausted from training, so they decided to retire for the day. They stood on deck for a while and just talked while they looked up at the night sky. The other ninja were just hanging out in the Bounty, while Misako, Wu, Garmadon, and Dr. Julien were in the main control room just discussing the events that already occured lately.

As they watched the stars appear in the dark blue-black night sky, Raven, Flare, and Nya were enjoying their girls-only time together.

"Your weapons are pretty extravagant Flare. The craftsmenship, the sharpness of the blades... their very beautiful too," Nya said, as she carefully passed her hand over the white blade so as not to cut herself.

"Yeah, they're pretty awesome," Flare said.

She passed Nya the black blade and took the white one back.

"So you can summon forth the blade from within the handles of each scimitar?" Nya asked, and Flare nodded.

The girls were sitting on the floor near the center right of Destiny's Bounty: Flare with her back against the railing, Nya sitting on Flare's left, and Raven on Flare's right. All three girls were gathered in a circle.

Flare replied, "Yes, I can summon the blades from within the handles. You can see which blade is which by the color of the small circle under the handles, black for black, and white for white."

Nya examined Flare's black sword and said, "That's pretty cool. You can actually feel the energy in the blade by just touching it."

After Nya's examination, she passed the black blade back to Flare who dismissed the blades back into the handles and hooked them on her belt. Then Raven passed Nya her water staff to look at it as well.

"Even on this staff, the craftsmenship is very unique and well done," Nya said.

Then Raven said, "Yeah, these weapons were made by the Masters of Aeroplane."

Nya looked up and asked, "The Masters of Aeroplane?"

Then Flare elaborated, "The Four Masters of Aeroplane were the protectors of Aeroplane and the people who lived there up until a certain time. Aeroplane has been around longer than any other place in all of Ninjago. However, no one ever really knows about it because the city is hidden in the skies. Even getting there is difficult unless you have a flying vehicle, and even so it's still difficult. You have to go to the Mountain of Soaria, then you have to pass the cloud-fog maze, and then you have to travel a little further along to the city. It's a whole thing to get there unless your from there or have a flying vehicle like this ship."

Flare rubbed the floor of the deck.

Raven said, "You mean the Bounty."

Then Flare said, "Yeah, right the Bounty. _That's_ what it's called?"

Raven and Nya nodded, and Flare just shrugged her shoulders and laid back.

Nya looked at the blue orb on top of the water staff and asked, "So the water you used came from this orb right?"

Raven nodded and said, "Yes, I can store water within the orb and use it when I need it. It can store a lot of water, even more than a lake."

Nya was amazed at the water staff's properties, and then she handed it back to Raven who set it beside herself.

"Sooo..." Flare said to Raven.

"Sooo?" Raven answered back.

Then Flare signed and said, "Are you going to tell Nya and the others why you were out the whole time alone? Before you bumped into them."

Raven looked down sad, and Nya tilted her head to side, wondering what Flare was talking about, and was looking at Raven for an answer.

Raven signed and said, "Well, you see, as I was going to tell you earlier... I ran away from home."

Nya was surprised and Flare just stood listening as Raven continued,

"I had a... disagreement with my dad, and I packed up some of my stuff and snuck out when I found the opportunity."

Then Nya asked, "Well, why? What was the disagreement about?"

Raven put her head down as she remembered a crystal prison.

"Well, he didn't want me to get hurt. He was worried about my welfare, but he worried so much that I didn't have any freedom to just go outside anymore and see my friends. I mean I understand why he didn't want me to go outside, and why he was so overprotective over me, ever since what happened about a year ago... it's just, I... I..."

Raven started tearing up and she tried to rub the tears out of her eyes.

"Raven..." Nya said, but then she said no more because she didn't want Raven to suffer more from what was bothering her.

However, Flare said, "Don't try to hold your tears back girl! Let it out, let it flow! Speak for once!"

Nya looked at Flare like 'What are you doing?' Then Raven started to silently cry because she doesn't cry loud actually. The sound of her cries is like how a chao cries in Sonic Adventure two battle.

As Raven cried she was able to clearly say, "My mother. I wish she wasn't sealed in the crystal prison! Dad has been trying to break her out for so long. He's so sad and angry about what happened, and he didn't want something like that to happen to me. I was selfish, I should've understood what my dad was feeling because I felt the same way in a way. -Sniffle- but I felt like he didn't think I could take care of myself...-Sniffle-"

Then Flare said, "And getting your leg banged up before didn't help much."

"Flare!" Nya said and Flare turned her head and kept silent.

Then Raven continued, "Being here on the Bounty, and with all you guys has made me realize that... I have to talk to my dad. After we go to Aeroplane, I want to see my father and settle this with him. I want to make things right..."

Nya nodded and said, "It's better to settle things now then to wait later, because, who knows if there will _be_ a later."

Raven attempted to wipe away her tears when she saw a handkerchef near her face. When she looked up, she saw Flare was the one offering the handkerchef while looking away with a slight sympathetic empathy in her eyes. Raven smiled and took the handkerchief gratefully.

After about half an hour, the girls decided to go to bed, as well as everyone else on board the Bounty. The Bounty was 'parked' inside a cave that was large enough to hold it, and not so visible outside. Everyone slept pretty well that night, especially Raven.

Outside, about a few miles away upon a beach was a group of people, and two of them wore black hoods...


	12. Chapter 12 Fight for Flight

As night passed and morning began, the ninja and the rest of the crew were up bright and early, even though some of them were kind of sore from yesterday's training. The Bounty was cruising along the sky, as everyone was meeting in the main control room. After everyone took a seat, besides Flare, Nya, Cole, Garmadon, and Kai... wait... where _is_ Kai? He was twelve minutes late! Sensei Wu wondered why Kai was being tardy, but then he realized why, as Kai stepped into the main control room. He held a rag in his hand and was rubbing some white and red paint off of his face.

"Sorry I'm late Sensei Wu. Apparently _someone_ thought that it would be _hilarious_ to paint my face while I was sleeping!" Kai said, as he glared at Flare.

She just smirked and said, "That's what you get when you fall asleep."

Sensei Wu signed and said, "Alright, let's get down to business. Are we close to arriving at Aeroplane?"

Sensei Wu looked at Flare and Raven.

Flare replied, "Yup. We have to cross Lake Kari and then pass over a small forest to Soaria Mountain."

Then Raven looked at Flare and asked, "Can we visit Tadi first?"

Everyone had confused expressions, and Flare replied, "Well... alright. We'll visit Tadi first."

"Yes!" Raven said, as she put her hands together in truimph.

Then Kai asked, "Who's Tadi" as he finished cleaning the paint off his face.

Raven answered, "He's my friend who lives in the lake we're heading to. He's really sweet once you get to know him."

"We're here," Nya said, as she steered the Bounty towards the lake.

After the Bounty was safely 'parked' on the beach side of the lake, everyone exited the Bounty, while Raven was already knee high in the water.

"Hold on Raven," Flare said, as everyone else and herself stood right next to the water.

Raven looked within the depths of the water that was visible to her, and she held her water staff at her side. Then Raven took out a black, sturdy string and tied it to the tip of the water staff. She tied a piece of seaweed at the loose end of the string. Raven started to spin her water staff in the air, as the string and the seaweed swirled around with it. Then she flicked the staff forward, which made the seaweed fly out into the water a good ten feet away. Raven stood there for a few minutes waiting, while everyone looked on in silence and confusion, except Flare. A tug on the string was felt by Raven, and she started to pull back on the string with her staff. Suddenly, Raven went flying a short distance straight into the water. Everyone gasped.

"-Gasp- Raven!" -Misako

"Oh my gosh!" -Nya

"What just happened?" -Jay

"That must have been one _big_ fish..." -Cole

"Where did she go?" -Kai

Then Flare responded, "She's in the water, where else did she go in the sky?"

Lloyd walked deeper into the water and called out, "Raven!"

The water about fifteen feet away from Lloyd started to bubble, and then something of a large size hopped up out of the water. It was the largest Koi fish that anyone had ever laid their eyes on. It had orange and black dabs on it's back with a white belly, a yellow tail fin, and blue eyes.

During the moment he jumped up in the air, everyone noticed a figure holding onto his back fin. Upon realizing that the figure was Raven and she was waving at them, everyone's jaws dropped open in 'awe' except for Flare, but her eyes widened. The extremely large Koi fish dived back into the water, along with Raven.

After a while, the large fish's head popped up out of the water, as well as Raven who stood on top of the fish's head. Raven looked at everyone's speechless faces, and then she turned to the Koi fish and bent down to pet his head.

"It's so good to see you again, Tadi," Raven said.

The fish made a low, sonorous reply saying 'Nice to see you too'.

Tadi can't speak words, he makes sounds and grunts of some sort, yet Raven can understand what he is saying.

"Did you miss me?" Raven asked, as she stood up and looked into Tadi's eyes.

"-Fish sounds- Yes, I felt lonely," Tadi said.

Raven frowned and said, "Aw, I'm sorry Tadi."

Tadi saw Raven frown and then he said, "-Fish sounds- 'It's ok, your here now."

Raven smiled at Tadi, and then she said, "Tadi, I want you to meet some friends of mine."

Raven gestured for Tadi to swim closer to shore, but far enough to live. Raven hopped off of Tadi's head into the waist-high water, and gestured for the others to come in the water as well. They followed her instructions.

Then Raven said, "Everyone this is my friend Tadi. Tadi, these are my friends: Lloyd, Kai, Zane, Cole, Jay, Nya, Sensei Wu, Garmadon, Misako, Dr. Julien, and you already know Flare."

Flare lifted one hand and said, "Sup Tadi."

Tadi nodded his head in Flare's direction, and then he turned to the others who all said hello to the large Koi fish.

"I've known Tadi since he was about the size of my hand. I would always visit him in this lake every like, week or two," Raven said.

"He's beautiful," Nya said, as she slowly approached Tadi and patted his nose.

"He has a good temperament as well," Raven added.

"How did he grow so large?" Cole asked, as he too patted Tadi's nose.

"Well Auria and Christa 's parents are the ones who take care of this lake as well as my parents and Flare's. So I guess keeping the lake healthy and clean helped Tadi to grow. And this lake is way bigger than normal, it connects to other ones too from underwater, soo yeah," Raven replied with a smile.

Then Flare jumped on Tadi's head and said, "Yeah, he's a big guy alright. A bigger guy than a certain red ninja I know."

Flare smirked at Kai, who glared at her back.

Then Misako approached Tadi and said, "His colors are so vivid, and he looks to be in perfect health."

Tadi said, "-Fish sounds- I thank their parents for caring for me and the lake."

Raven translated, "He said he thanks our parents for taking care of him and the lake."

The others who were standing behind each started to pet the Koi fish on the nose.

Afterward, Sensei said, "It's very nice to meet you Tadi, and I'm sorry to cut this reunion short, but we have to head to Aeroplane."

Raven nodded and said, "I have to go Tadi, I'll see you later ok?"

Tadi replied, "-Fish sounds- What about the people on the other side of the lake?' Raven looked at Tadi in confusion.

She asked, "Who's on the other side of the lake?"

Everyone looked towards Raven, then at Tadi as he said, "-Fish sounds- There were twenty of them, and two others: One in a hood, and one with hood off."

Raven's eyes widened, and then Lloyd asked, "What's the matter Raven? What did he say?"

Raven turned towards Lloyd, as she replied, "He said there are twenty people on the other side of the lake, and two more: one with a hood, and the other didn't have their hood on."

Everyone's eyes widened, and then Garmadon said, "If the one in the hood is the same person from the other day, then all of the people on the other side work for Big Boss."

Then Flare jumped down from Tadi's head, and asked, "Tadi, who wore the hood and who didn't? Did you get a clear view?"

Tadi replied, "-Fish sounds- 'The hooded one was male, and the unhooded one was female, with steel eyes, and black and white hair."

Raven translated, "He said the hooded one was a male, and the unhooded was a female with... steel eyes, and white and black hair."

Everyone was confused about the unhooded one's appearance, except Misako who was reminiscing about a young girl she met, and Flare who... just wasn't fazed at this point.

Then Kai finally said, "She must be 'Big Boss'."

"There is a high probability that Kai is ninety five per cent correct," Zane said.

"What do we do then? We can't just walk over there and say 'Hey guys can we pass?' I mean they might be waiting for us and then WAM!" Jay said.

"Jay's right. They must be expecting us. They most likely have a plan to counter act us when we draw closer to the other side of the lake," Garmadon said.

"Well we have to do something, we can't wait here forever," Lloyd said.

"Well what do we do? We need a plan," Cole said, as everyone started trying to come up with said plan.

Raven turned to Tadi, then to the ninja, then to Tadi, and then at the Bounty.

Flare noticed Raven's head movements and said, "You thinking what I'm thinking Raven?"

Everyone turned towards Raven, as she looked at Flare with a smirk and said, "I think I am. Guys, I have an idea..."

On the other side of Lake Kari (It's a BIG lake), a group of dark people stood preparing their machinery and weapons on the beach closer to the trees of the forest. Yet, farther out closest to the water stood two people, one with a black hood on his head, and the other with her hood off. The one without the hood was a woman in the same attire of a black shirt, dark blue pants and silver zipper lines on the pants. However, her hood was off to reveal her face. Her eyes were a steel color and her hair was black with two thick gray lines of hair that went from the sides of her head to the tip of her hair that reached her shoulders. She stood looking out to the open sea, with a smirk on her face and a dark look in her eyes. Her arms were crossed, as she waited on the beach with the hooded stranger.

"Ah, what a nice day," She said and continued, "Isn't it a nice day to have fun, Ryan?"

She breathed in the clean air, and then Ryan, the hooded stranger, said, "It is, I guess. When are they getting here?"

He turned towards the woman slightly, waiting to receive an answer.

Then the woman said, "Oh they'll come at some point today, though I do hope it's soon."

The woman closed her eyes for a moment to enjoy the breeze, while Ryan looked at the water. He noticed a flash of white and orange pass under the water and under the land he was on. Ryan was slightly suspicious, but then he turned his head to the left and saw a ship hovering just above the water towards the forest, trying not to be noticed.

Then Ryan said, "Well I'll be going for a walk... Oh and uh, eh hem, 'Big Boss,' you should look towards your left."

As Ryan walked off to the right, the woman opened her eyes and turned left to see a ship trying to fly towards the forest.

She smiled darkly and said, "Hmph, they won't get away so easy." She turned towards her minions and called out, "HEY! LET'S HUSSLE, THEY'RE OVER HERE!"

The minions started to pack some of their stuff while they scrambled to grab their weapons, as some of them jumped in and on their black vehicles. Big Boss jumped on what looked to be a large crossbow on wheels and stood just behind the large crossbow.

"Let's ride out!" She said, as her people drove towards the Bounty.

Underwater, Tadi was swimming briskly through the currents. He found the underground waterway that went under the land where Big Boss and her minions were. He swam through the large passage until he saw an area with a large amount of light, since most of the passage was dark. He swam up towards the light, and then he popped his head up out of the water in an area of the forest that was about half way towards Soaria Mountain near a large tree. He rested his chin on the grass area that separated the water from the rest of the grassy floors and trees. Tadi opened his mouth wide, and out came the ninja. They had some saliva on their clothes which they were wiping off, while Tadi closed his mouth and started to breathe normal again.

"Uh, gross!" Cole said, as he was shaking the transparent slime off his leg.

"Ugh, that's the last time I go into a fish's mouth," Jay said, as he whipped off the saliva from his arms.

"Well, at least we made it closer to the mountain," Kai said, as he looked up to see Soaria Mountain.

"It's a good thing Tadi is huge enough to hold all of us," Flare said, as she wiped some saliva off her face.

"Thank you Tadi," Raven said, as she blew a kiss to the Koi fish which made him blush, as he said,

"-Fish sounds- Your welcome, be safe ok?"

Raven smiled and said, "Ok, bye Tadi."

Tadi said 'bye,' and then he pulled back into the water, heading towards the lake.

Lloyd saw Raven saying bye to Tadi, and he thought, _'Raven... She's so...__cute. Uh! I can't get distracted. I have to stay vigilant in case any one of Big Boss' goons__turn up. But I can't help it... she's just so pretty... Ah! I have to focus!'_

Lloyd tried to be more serious, but when he looked back at Raven, they made eye contact, and she smiled at him as he smiled back. However, he stood looking at her in a trance, until he realized that he was still staring at her. Then Lloyd shook his head and tried to straighten himself, while Raven put her hand to mouth and giggled.

'_Aw,_ _he's so cute,'_ Raven thought.

"Hey you two, come on let's hurry up!" Flare called out, which made Raven and Lloyd nod at her, as they ran up to the others towards Soaria Mountain.

In the Bounty, Misako, Garmadon, Wu, Dr. Julien, and Nya were steering the Bounty in order to distract Big Boss and her minions so that the others could travel up Soaria Mountain for Raven's safety.

As Nya steered the Bounty, Sensei Wu was on deck looking out to see if Big Boss and her minions were following them, and indeed they were. He quickly retreated to the main control room to tell the others.

Big Boss was watching the Bounty and said, "They're close enough, fire... NOW!"

The cross bow mechanism was aiming up at the Bounty, and then it fired one large arrow claw towards it. The arrow claw was able to hit the back, left side of the Bounty and grip into the wood very sternly.

Within the Bounty, a turbulance was felt by everyone.

"What was that?" Dr. Julien asked.

"Something hit us, and it's slowing us down," Nya said, as she struggled with the Bounty's wheel.

"I'll check it out," Misako said, as she ran out, heading to the upper deck.

"Wait, Misako!" Garmadon called out, but Misako couldn't hear him.

On deck, Misako ran towards the back of the Bounty and noticed the claw that was holding onto the stern. She jumped on the rope of the claw and tried to cut it off with her hunting knife. The rope was pretty strong, which made Misako take a moment to whip the sweat off her head, when she saw a hooded person walking up the rope towards her. _'_

_Oh no!'_ Misako thought, as she tried to cut the rope faster.

Big Boss was getting closer... and closer... and closer... and as she approached Misako, she was slowly lifting her head to reveal her wicked smile. Misako was able to cut the rope really thin at this point, and then she held onto the arrow claw, and with one final slash, the rope was cut.

As the rope fell to the ground along with Big Boss, Misako quickly jumped up on deck. However, Misako froze in place and gasped when she saw the Big Boss standing ten feet away from her on the deck.

"How did you..." Misako asked, and Big Boss replied,

"I have more skills than you anticipated, huh?"

Misako stood in a fighting stance, while holding onto her hunting knife.

"Hahahaha," Big Boss laughed, and said, "You think you can fight me? I admire your courage."

Then Big Boss removed her hood to reveal her face, as Misako took that moment to examine her appearance.

Then Big Boss asked, "What's the matter, Misako? You don't remember me?"

Misako's eyes widened, as she recognized who Big Boss was after hearing her voice clearly. Shocked by this, Misako was only able to say one word,

"S-Silva?"

As the ninja were running through the forest, Flare became very attentive as she felt a familiar dark presence approaching them.

"Flare?" Kai asked, as he looked towards the orange kunoichi.

Flare turned towards him and asked, calmly, "What?"

Then Kai asked, "What's wrong? You seem like something's bothering you."

Flare looked at Kai with a curious look, which he couldn't see because her ninja hood was on.

Then Flare asked, "Since when did you become concerned?"

Kai replied, "Well, your part of the team now, and as teammates, we gotta stick together. Even if we don't exactly see eye-to-eye on a daily basis."

Flare thought about that, and then she said, "I feel the same dark presence from before. He's following us but, it's like..."

Kai asked, "It's like what?"

The other ninja gathered closer to hear what Flare's answer was.

"It's like he keeps disappearing, and reappearing closer to us," Flare replied.

Before anyone could say anything, a dark flash had gone by them.

"Wait, hold on," Cole said, as the ninja came to a hault.

Then another dark flash appeared from the left.

"There it goes!" Jay yelled out, as the ninja turned towards the left.

Then a flash appeared in front of the ninja about ten feet away. Ryan appeared after the flash disappeared and stood before the ninja in his black hood, observing each of them.

Then Lloyd stepped forward and said, "Hey, your that guy in the hood from before."

The ninja looked at Ryan, as he said, "Yeah, it's me. I came to warn you."

The ninja looked at each other in confusion, and then they looked back at Ryan.

"Warn us about what?" Zane asked, and then Ryan replied,

"It was smart of you guys to sneak around here while the others distracted Big Boss with the flying ship."

Then Jay said, "Um, we call it the Bounty-"

"Jay!" Kai said, and then Jay said,

"What? I'm just correcting him..."

As the ninja squabbled over Jay saying to much information, Raven looked at Ryan and noticed he was looking at her. She could tell he was looking at her because she felt like he was, and she was more to his right side, which was where he was looking. She looked back at him, wondering why he was staring at her, and she noticed that Ryan looked a little confused. Lloyd and Flare noticed this, and they both looked at each other wondering why Ryan was staring at Raven.

Then Ryan looked at the ninja as a whole and said, "Big Boss isn't one to underestimate. Your attempt of deception is going to fail you."

Then Zane asked, "How are you able to predict that assumption?"

Ryan stood silent for about five seconds, and then he replied, "Because she's on the Bounty right now."

The ninja gasped, and in a few seconds, Ryan suddenly flashed off in a dark light that faded after a few seconds. The ninja looked at each other, and then they made a break for it up Soaria Mountain.

(Within a forest, a young Misako was traveling through, enjoying the scenery. She heard a cry for help, which she followed after to reveal a girl about her age, who's foot was stuck in a mini bear trap. The young lady was trying to pry open the trap, but she wasn't strong enough to hold it open.

"What happened?" Young Misako asked, as she approached the young lady and bent down near her entrapped leg.

"I was walking with my basket of fruit, and then this thing came out of nowhere," The young lady replied.

She was in pain, so Young Misako put both hands on each side of the trap's 'mouth' and said, "I'll pull it open, while you pull your leg out."

The young lady nodded, and then Young Misako started to pull on the trap. It slowly opened, and the young lady pulled her leg out. Young Misako released the trap as it snapped shut. The young lady's leg wasn't badly injured since the trap wasn't as strong as it would have been if it was bigger. Young Misako took off a scarf she wore, and wrapped the girl's leg with it.

"No, not your scarf. Don't waste it on my leg," The young lady said, but Misako replied,

"It's fine. Besides, you need it more than I do."

Young Misako finished wrapping the young lady's leg, and helped her to stand up. Then Young Misako picked up the young lady's basket and put the fruit that fell out from it back inside. The young girl was able to limp over to Young Misako and take the basket.

She bowed to Young Misako and said, "Thank you for your kindness."

Young Misako also bowed and said, "It was my pleasure. My name is Misako, what's yours?"

The young lady looked up at Misako and said, "My name is Silva."

Misako looked directly into Silva's eyes, and saw that her eyes were a steel color.

Misako smiled and said, "That's a nice name, and you have nice eyes too."

Silva smiled and said, "Thank you, and your name is very nice as well. I shall never forget you Misako."

Misako smiled and said, "I will never forget you either, Silva."

Misako turned and looked around the forest saying, "So, where do you live I can drop you of-"

When Misako turned around, Silva had completely vanished. Misako searched, but she never found Silva.)

Misako was very shocked to see Silva again, especially in this situation.

"How nice of you to remember me Misako. I guess you kept your word when you said you wouldn't forget me," Silva said with a smile.

Then Misako straightened herself up, remembering Silva is Big Boss, and said, "Silva, what's going on? What happened? Why are you doing all this?"

Silva closed her eyes and thought about Misako's questions, while she lightly smiled.

Then Silva opened her eyes and replied, "I do what I want to do Misako, just like how you chose the path of light, I decided to choose the path of dark."

Misako wore a sorry look on her face, as she said, "Silva, what ever your planning, please stop now. I don't want to fight you, and you probably wouldn't want to fight me either."

Silva snickered and said, "Misako, I'm not good, though it's true. I don't want to fight you, but if you stand in my way, I'll have to take the initiative and get you _out_ of my way."

"Silva, you know I can't let you get away with whatever evil deeds you have planned," Misako said.

Silva signed and said, "Well, then I'll have to force you out of the way, huh?"

Misako looked down sad, but then she looked up in determination and said, "Then you'll have to force me."

Silva's eyes widened, as she saw that Misako wasn't playing games anymore. In her eyes, Misako was ready to fight till the end.

Silva smirked and said, "I admire the strength in your eyes..."

Silva pulled out a large dagger with a green and blue stripped handle and a white blade that was tranparent on the sharp side.

"But inner strength alone won't be able to stop me!"

Silva charged at Misako, as Misako charged towards Silva. They clashed, and each woman was struggling for control. Misako was struggling the most, while Silva was holding back. Then Silva grinned darkly which made Misako gasp. Silva pushed Misako's blade to the side with her own, and then she grabbed her arm and flung her across the deck. Misako skidded across the floor a little, and then she tried to stand up. Silva started walking over to Misako with a dark smirk on her face. Closer... closer... Silva's blade raising higher and higher, as she walked approached her old friend. Misako stood up, while her grip on her knife tightened, and then she ran towards Silva.

Then Misako yelled out, "Ninja Go!"

Silva was confused, but then she was surprised when Misako started spinning in a silver-colored tornado. Silva gripped her sword tighter, as Misako moved closer to her. Silva and Misako were clashing weapons, as Silva tried to protect herself from Misako's attack. Then Silva's weapon went flying out of her hand, as Misako stopped spinning and held her knife near Silva's throat.

Silva raised her hands up mid-way, while Misako smirked and said, "It's over Silva."

Silva smirked darkly and said, "Oh, I don't think so, Misako."

Silva's hand slightly twitched, and then her sword followed the movement and went flying, handle-first, back into Silva's grasp. Before Misako could react, Silva grabbed her sword, and smacked Misako's knife off her hand, and kicked her away. Misako rose up from being kicked in the gut, only to see Silva's sword near her neck. Then Silva laughed darkly as part of her face was hidden by the shadow of her hair.

Then she said, "It's over, Misako."

Misako had a terrified expression, as Silva was ready to strike her down. Then, a flash of gold and dark purple sent Silva back a couple of feet away from Misako. Wu and Garmadon stood in front of Misako looking at Silva intensely, as Silva glared at them.

Then Wu turned to Misako and asked, "Are you alright Misako?"

Misako stood up the best she could and replied, "I'm fine."

Garmadon stood glaring at Silva, angry that she hurt Misako, but remembering that he was once in her position. There was a moment of intense silence between the Masters and Big Boss.

Then Silva straightened up and smirked while saying, "Well, not that this wasn't fun, but I better go now."

She turned around and started walking away, while Garmadon, Wu, and Misako had confused expressions on their faces.

Before jumping off the Bounty's railing, Silva turned towards the three and said, "Just know, I'm leaving you all alone for now because of our history, Misako. However, next time it may be different... Have a nice day."

Silva smirked while saluting the Masters, and then she disappeared in a puff of dark grey smoke. Garmadon, Wu, and Misako waited a moment, and then Misako collasped down on her knees. Garmadon and Wu both helped Misako up and carried her back into the Bounty.

"You shouldn't have gone alone," Garmadon said and added, "I shouldn't have left you alone."

Misako responded, "No, it was my fault. I shouldn't have gone by myself."

Then Wu said, "Well, I guess we still have lessons to learn, even at our present ages."

Misako and Garmadon nodded, as the two brothers carried Misako to the infirmary.

The ninja were climbing Mount Soaria. They made it about one third of the way up and stood on a cliff side. They saw that Big Boss' minions were pursuing the Bounty.

"Look! Up there on deck!" Flare yelled out, as the ninja looked carefully as the Bounty approached them.

"I can't see," Jay said.

"I'll have a look... Falcon vision," Zane said.

From the Falcon's view above the Bounty, Zane was able to see Big Boss on the Bounty's deck, standing on the railing, looking at Misako, Wu, and Garmadon. Then Big Boss disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Guys, Big Boss _was_ on deck, but she has gone now. She just vanished in a puff of smoke," Zane said.

Then Kai asked, "Why did she go?"

Cole added, "Is anyone else on deck?"

Then Jay added, "Is Nya on deck?"

Zane replied while reverting back to normal vision, "Nya is not on deck, most likely she is piloting the Bounty. However, Garmadon, Misako, and Sensei Wu were all on deck."

Then Jay said, "Ha, they probably scared Big Boss off."

"I think Misako may be hurt. She didn't look like she could stand properly. She might have encountered Big Boss before Garmadon and Sensei Wu intervened," Zane said.

Lloyd immediately said, "What?! My mom is hurt?!"

Flare placed her hand on Lloyd's shoulder and said, "Don't worry man, I have some healing ointment I used on Raven before. It should heal her easily."

Lloyd relaxed a bit, but he was still very concerned about his mother.

Raven saw this and thought, _'Oh Lloyd... if only I was stronger, than we wouldn't have needed to split up. I could have protected myself...'_

Raven looked down in sadness, and only Kai noticed Raven's reaction.

After climbing up the ladder onto the Bounty, the ninja went straight to the main control room, while Lloyd and Flare went to Misako's room with Flare's ointment. Nya steered the Bounty up the mountain, while everyone else sat around the table in the main control room. Cole, Zane, and Jay were telling Nya and Dr. Julien about what happened in the forest with Ryan, and being in a fish's mouth prior, while Raven stood on the far end of the table looking down. Kai stood up, without disturbing the others' conversation, and he sat across from Raven.

"Hey," Kai said to grab Raven's attention, as she looked up at him with a half-sorrowful face.

Kai placed his hand gently on Raven's hand that was on the table and said, "Don't blame yourself for what happened ok? We're a team, and being a team means that we protect one another."

Raven looked down, then she looked at Kai and said, "But, if I was stronger, than no one would have to get hurt protecting me..."

"Raven, that's what friends do. We fight to protect each other no matter what. Whether strong or not, support from your friends is better than fighting on your own," Kai replied.

Then Kai removed his hand from Raven's and said, "Also, your a lot stronger than you take credit for. I mean, you bested me and most of the guys yesterday. I'm still sore you know."

Kai moved his arm in a slow wind mill, while his other hand held onto his shoulder. Raven smiled a little.

Then Flare's voice was heard, "Or maybe your just sore from the whipping I gave you the other day, and from my awesomeness altogether."

Flare entered the room, giving Kai a smirk while he just looked at her unamused. Then Lloyd, Misako, Garmadon, and Sensei Wu entered the room.

"Mrs. Misako, your alright!" Raven said happily, as she stood up and hugged Misako.

Misako smiled and said, "Yes I'm alright Raven, thank you."

Misako patted Raven's head and hugged her, while Lloyd looked on with a smile, seeing how Raven cared about his mother.

Then Flare interrupted and said, "Yes yes wonderful, Misako is alive and well. Now we _still_ have to head through the fog."

Raven released Misako and said, "Right. We have to manuveur through it."

Raven and Flare walked up to Nya, who was steering the wheel.

"We'll take it from here Nya, you go rest," Flare said, andNya nodded and let Flare take the wheel.

Nya sat down besides Jay who looked at Nya with lovey-dovey eyes, as Nya smiled sweetly at him and held his hand. Then Raven reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of folded paper and unfolded it.

"Ok, go a slight left then turn right after ten meters," Raven instructed.

Flare did, as she was told after entering the fog.

"Now what?" Flare asked.

"Turn slight right, then move back to avoid a rock ledge, and then swerve to the right in a three hundred sixty degree circle as you stop spinning when you see the red light," Raven said.

"Ok, everyone! Grab something," Flare said with a mischiveous grin, as everyone looked at her, and then they quickly grabbed something sturdy in the room. Flare did as instructed perfectly, which made most of the people in the room nearly fly around the room, yelling out.

Then Flare steadied the Bounty and asked, "Ok, now what?"

Raven looked at the paper, while holding the wall, and said, "Ok, go towards the red light. After you make it there go right for seven meters to a green light, then go left seven meters to a blue light, then go a slight left to a white light, and then go straight ahead up."

Flare did as instructed while the ninja, parents, and Sensei Wu sat back around the table.

After passing the white light, Flare continued steering the Bounty straight up ahead. The fog slowly started to clear up, until it was completely gone.

Flare put the Bounty on auto pilot and said, "Come on come on, let's go up."

Flare led everyone towards the Bounty's deck.

As everyone looked around, they were surrounded by a light blue sky with the sun just above their heads. Below was the fog, but it looked like the fog disappeared. There were some clouds floating just above the Bounty. Below, you could see the surface of the Earth with all it's plants and trees and land far down.

As everyone enjoyed the view, Nya looked towards the front of the Bounty and gasped in awe, as she pointed and said,

"Guys, look."

Everyone turned towards where Nya was pointing at, as they also gasped in awe. Raven and Flare looked on with happiness.

"We're finally here," Raven said.

Then Flare said to Raven, "Yeah. We finally made it to Aeroplane."


	13. Chapter 13 Aeroplane

**Hey people. I'm going to try to get these up sooner, but my schedule between classes and life is something that can't be manipulated so easily. ;) **

**Just a reminder: Ninjago and their respective characters (c) Lego. Raven and my respective oc's (c) Me. Enjoy. **

Ahead of the Bounty were large floating islands, grouped together and connected by light blue bridges. There was a very large circular island in the middle, with regular buildings like a city-town, and a large white and light blue castle in the middle that extended further from the back to the edge of the island. The buildings were either white, light blue, blue, light grey and/or grey. The castle was a large white square on the bottom, with a smaller grey square inside that extended up, and a large light-blue cylinder tower in the center that reached way higher than any building structure. It looked like it was made of bricks, and there was a castle wall around it of grey. The streets of the city lead to the castle, and there were people just walking around, enjoying life. The other islands attached to the large island by the bridges looked like smaller versions of the big island with regular buildings only. There were four islands that were floating above the large island not attached by bridges. There was also flying machines hovering around in the air across the city buildings and the islands. The land was thick that held up the islands, and they were pearl white.

The ninja stared in awe at the magnificence of the floating islands and their vastness.

As they continued looking on, the sound of sirens were heard approaching the Bounty. When the ninja heard the sirens coming closer, they towards their left, and saw a man on a bulky floating motorcycle without wheels. The motorcycle had a bird-like look and it was all white and black, with a siren and yellow lights flashing on the front of the floating bike. The driver had a sandy brown aviator hat, white armor, and blue goggles.

The guy said, "Hey, hey, how y'all doin'? The name's Jorgon. I've neva seen this flying vehicle before. May I have y'all names and purpose for being here?"

Before anyone else could speak, Flare walked closer to where Jorgon was and said,

"Hey! Listen man, your disrupting business."

Flare stood looking at Jorgon, and then Jorgen's eyes widened, as he removed his goggles and said,

"Oh my... Princess Flare! Forgive me, I didn't mean to disturb ya. My mistake your highness. I'll lead ya straight over to Aeroplane land."

Jorgon pulled his goggles over his eyes and drove ahead of the Bounty leading on, while Nya went to the steering wheel on deck and started following Jorgon.

Flare looked towards the others and said, "And that's how it's done."

"Perks for royalty huh?" Cole said, and Flare nodded.

"It's a good thing you were here to help us Flare," Misako said, and then Sensei Wu said,

"Your knowledge, skills, and royal... perks, have really come through for all of us."

Flare smirked and said, "Eh... yeah, you guys would have been lost without me."

Flare walked by Kai, and stopped to look at him while saying, "I guess it's a good thing I stuck around, isn't it Kai?"

She smirked when Kai glared at her, but then Kai signed and said, "Thanks for sticking around Flare, and... I'm sorry about before, for what I did and said when you first came to the Bounty."

Flare was surprised by Kai's apology, as well as the others who stood by listening.

Then Flare cleared her throat and said, "Well, um, thank you Kai... and... I'm sorry, too."

Kai and Flare looked into each other's eyes for a moment, but then Flare turned away quick and said,

"Well then, let's get ready for landing guys."

"Agreed, let's go," Sensei said, as everyone entered the Bounty to prepare for landing.

After 'parking' the Bounty on a Heli pad, the Ninja crew exited the Bounty and looked at the city in amazement.

"This place is huuuge," -Cole

"It's astonishing," -Zane

"I wish I would have known about a place like this sooner," -Nya

"It's breath taking..." -Misako

Then Flare interupted, "Yeah yeah, it's awesome, we all know that. We can _see_ it. Come on, we have to meet with our friends."

Raven stood next to Flare and asked, "Should we take the aerocycles or aerocars?"

Flare turned to Raven and said, "Aerocars, much easier for the load of people we have."

"Uh, Aerocars?" Jay asked, interested.

Then Flare said, "Come, we'll show you."

The Ninja crew headed off behind Flare and Raven, as they went left of the heli pad docks to a bridge that led to one of the floating outer islands.

"_This_ is an Aerocar," Flare said, as she pointed to a vehicle that looked like the aerocycle that Jorgon was riding, but it had more seats in the back that made it longer.

"Oh, cool!" Jay said.

Flare and Raven greeted the technician Gary, and asked to use the aerocars, which he agreed and led them to where the cars and other vehicles were parked. Jay ran among the vehicles, studying their features, engines, and etc.

"These are all state-of-the-art equipment and compositions here! This is amazing! Oh my gosh is that... it is! Oh Wow!" THWACK! "Ow! What was that for?" Jay questioned Flare since she slapped him over the head.

However, before she could answered, Nya grabbed Jay and pulled him away from the vehicles and Flare's tongue of wrath.

"Come on Jay, we can look at the cycles later on, just you and me," Nya said, which made Jay smile, as he said,

"Wait, you mean me and you, alone?"

Nya smiled at Jay, which made him sign with lovey-dovey eyes. Flare rolled her eyes, and walked over to the three aerocars that Gary pulled out from among the others.

"There ya go Flare, Raven. You can borrow these aerocars for now. You know how to work'em right?"

Raven and Flare looked at each other, then they looked at Gary and nodded.

"Ok then, I'd better get the goin' now, got other repairs to make ya know," Gary said, as he walked away while waving.

"Thanks Gary," Flare said.

Raven waved, "Thanks Mr. Gary!"

After Gary's departure, Raven and Flare inspected the aerocars and saw they were ready to go.

"Ok guys, jump in a car and let's go," Flare said, and she jumped in a car, and Raven behind her.

Nya and Misako both jumped in the same car as Raven and Flare, which made Lloyd and Jay sign since they couldn't sit near Raven and Nya. Then Zane jumped in one of the aerocars, and Jay walked up to him and asked,

"Hey Zane, you know how to drive that thing?"

Zane looked at the controls, and then back at Jay and said, "It's a simple enough calibration."

"I got second!" Cole said, as he hopped in the car behind Zane.

"I got third!" Jay said, as he attempted to jump in the third seat, only to see Kai was already there.

"Sorry man, first come, first serve," Kai said with a smirk.

"Darn, -sign- Fine, I got fourth," Jay said, as he hopped into the fourth seat.

In the next aerocar was Dr. Julien in the fourth seat, Sensei Wu in the third, Garmadon in the second, and Lloyd in the driver's seat.

Garmadon leaned over to Lloyd and asked, "You think you can drive this thing son?"

Lloyd turned towards his dad and said, "Sure, of course I can drive this, uh-"

Raven called out, "Aerocar!"

Lloyd smiled at Raven and said, "Yeah, aerocar."

Raven smiled back, and then Flare said, "Oh, yeah, you can drive something that you don't even remember the name of."

The ninja chuckled, as well as Nya and Misako a little bit. The elderly guys were nervous now, and Lloyd cleared his throat and said,

"Well, it shouldn't be so hard since _your_ driving it too, Flare."

Everyone became silent besides the ninja who made 'Ohh' sounds, as Flare's eyes widened by Lloyd's words.

Flare smirked and said, "Ohh, so the Golden ninja has some bark to his bite huh? Well then, oh great Spinjitzu Master, I guess you don't need me or Zane to show you. Come on Zane, let's go up."

Flare flew straight up with the aerocar and was driving pretty slow away from Lloyd, as Zane did the same. Lloyd started regretting his words, as he tried to start the aerocar. He was able to start the engine, and then he tried to fly upward. It was working at first, but then the aerocar was swaying left to right. Lloyd tried to steady the car so that he could move forward.

As he moved, he kept stopping, going, stopping, going, balancing the car, trying to figure out the controls. Flare just smirked at Lloyd, while the ninja were chuckling at Lloyd's attempt to drive.

"Keep it steady Lloyd, don't get nervous now. Nice and easy," Dr. Julien said, as he held onto the sides of the aerocar.

Lloyd nodded and said, "Ok, um, I got it. Nice and steady..."

Lloyd was able to gain more control of the aerocar.

"Hey, I think I got it," Lloyd said, but then the car did a barrelroll to the right, the left, it went up higher, and then the car was upside down.

"Lloyd!" Sensei Wu said, as the blood started rushing to their heads.

"Uh, sorry! I... I don't know how to turn it back!" Lloyd said, frantically.

Flare drove under the upside down aerocar and looked up at Lloyd with a smile that made Lloyd frown.

"So, do you need help?" Flare asked nicely.

Lloyd signed and asked, "Can you help me to drive Flare, please?"

Flare smirked, which made Lloyd more desparate for help and because he was getting dizzy.

"I'm sorry, please can you help?" Lloyd asked again.

Then Raven cut in, "Flare..."

Flare looked at Raven, then she looked at Lloyd and said, "Eh, it's alright boy. Turn that knob there."

Flare pointed to a silver knob near the wheel, as she drove a few feet away. Lloyd turned the knob and was able to turn the car rightside up.

Then Flare said, "Alright, it's time to get going. Lloyd, you move the wheel in the direction you want to go, and you can use the control pad stick to move up, down, left, or right in place, that's how you hover. Oh, and the blue button under the plastic is the turbo. DON'T press it! Only when necessary. However, you can press the red buttons on the wheel to move faster. Come on, let's go."

Flare drove on ahead, as Zane and Lloyd followed. Zane was good at driving, and Lloyd was getting much better since Flare gave him instructions. The three aerocars headed over to the castle on the second square floor.

As they arrived on the heli pad of the castle, Flare landed first, then Zane, and then Lloyd. Everyone jumped out of the aerocars and stood together, as Flare walked closer to the castle tower. The heli pad was very large, it connected to the cylinder tower that was in the middle of the castle. A large entranceway was open that lead through the tower, which lead to the main castle building past the tower. The main castle building was another whole area behind the castle that was a large square building with a hole in the center where the garden was. Flare stood outside the entranceway of the tower that was not far from the heli pad, and she looked up and cried out with both hands cupped to her mouth,

"HEY! AURIA! CHRISTA! ONE OF YOU, ARE YOU THERE?!"

After a moment of silence, a figure that was on the tip of the pole that stood on the cylinder tower started jumping down to where Flare was. The figure landed and stood in front of Flare with a ninja hood over their face. They wore all grey with some silver on their gi, with a white sash belt, and an eyepiece like Flare's on the ninja hood. The person greeted Flare, as she greeted them back. Flare lead the person to the others who stood where they were, wondering who this person was. Raven ran up first and hugged the person. The person hugged her back.

Then Flare said to the Ninja crew, "Friends, people! I will like you to meet a prodigy and one of our best friends. The first born princess of Aeroplane, Auria!"

After Flare's introduction, Auria removed her ninja hood to reveal her face. She was about the ninja's age, but her eyes showed that she seemed older. Her bright white hair was in a high ponytail that reached her shoulders. She had white eyeshadow with a silver glitter and white lipstick. She stood before the ninja crew with a soft smile on her face.

"Hello everyone, Flare's mother told us about all of you coming to visit. It's a pleasure to meet you at last. You all seem like a pleasant group of people," Auria said in a voice that was respectful, medium key, and soft-spoken.

Sensei Wu walked towards Auria and bowed his head, as he said, "It is an honor to be in your presence your highness. I am Sensei Wu, but I can safely assume by Melantha's letter, that you already know who we are."

Auria nodded and said, "Yes, I am familiar with all of your descriptions and names."

Jay stepped forward and asked, "Oh oh, what's my name?"

Auria turned to him and replied, "You are Jay, the Lightening ninja."

Jay gasped and said, "Oh cool, you really _do_ know."

Then Cole asked, "What about me?"

Auria turned to Cole and said, "You are Cole, the Earth ninja."

Cole responded, "Alright, so you really know all of us then."

Auria smiled, and then Flare asked, "Hey Auria, where's Christa?"

Auria turned to Flare and said, "She resides within the auditorium. Shall I bring you to her?"

Flare nodded and turned to the others and said, "Come on guys, let's head off."

As Flare spoke, Zane looked towards Auria, and he felt something very familiar about her, something he recognized but couldn't distinguish. Auria noticed this and she turned towards Zane and smiled. Zane snapped out of his thoughts and smiled back at Auria.

As Auria lead the way through the tower to the next castle building, Zane thought,

_'Hm? Why does the princess seem very... familiar? Not familiar exactly, but, she has something about her that I recognize. I can't figure out what it is, but... maybe if I learn more about her, then I may be able to uncover this distinction I have about her...'_

As the ninja crew walked further into the castle, they past some downward stairs, through a hall outside to a large garden with a fountain in the center, through another hall that lead to some more stairs outside that went down and across a large field area with stone floors and grass around the outside perimeter, and some more stairs that were wider and more extended farther than the previous ones and shorter of a climb.

As they approached some doors, they started to hear voices on the other side and music. Auria pushed open the two large wooden doors, which were only double the size of a regular door each, to reveal an auditorium. It had many chairs that were lined up in rows and had four-sections and space to walk between them. There was also chairs in the higher parts of the auditorium which were used for opera, plays, and the sort.

As the Ninja crew approached the stage, they saw a choir standing on the stage in three rows, and there was the conductor standing before them with the baton in her hand. She wore a white dress with a sky blue sweater, and pure white hair pulled back into a bun with a golden crown holding the bun up. She turned around when she heard foot steps and saw Auria had brought guests.

She smiled and said while still signaling the choir to sing, "Hello my dear Auria and ninja."

Auria smiled and said, "Hello mother."

Everyone's eyes widened besides Raven, Flare, and Auria.

"That's your mother?" Jay asked, and Flare replied,

"She just said 'Hello mother'. Of course she is! She is the Queen of Aeroplane and the Conductor of all music, Queen Kani."

The others watched as the choir continued to sing. Then one young lady around the ninja's age stepped forward and started to sing a solo part. She had straight light blonde hair that reached her waist, while her bangs reached a little past her shoulders. She had yellow eye shadow with green glitter. Her clothes were a ninja gi, but they were yellow with a yellow sash around her waist. She sung her part so beautifully and perfectly, that everyone who was watching had their mouths open in amazement, besides Auria, Raven, and Flare, since they know how she sings.

After the song was done, Kani sent off the choir to have a free day. The choir exited, except the one who performed the solo. Then Kani and the soloist jumped off the stage and stood in front of the ninja crew.

Auria walked over to her mother and the soloist and said to them, "This group are the ones in the letter."

Auria turned towards the others and said, "Everyone, this is my mother Queen Kani, and my younger sister, Princess Christa."

Sensei Wu said, "It is a pleasure to meet the Queen and Princesses of Aeroplane. We thank you for allowing us to visit your kingdom."

Kani and Christa smiled, then Kani said, "Well, it is a pleasure to meet the ninja who saved Ninjago from the Great Devourer _and_ from the Overlord himself."

"You know about all that?" Kai asked.

Flare lightly nudged Kai on the shoulder.

"Be respectful fool," She whispered.

Kani chuckled and said, "It's quite alright Flare, and yes, young fire ninja, we all know about your endeavors to protect all of Ninjago. You are truly an inspiration to the people of Aeroplane, especially my daughters."

Kani looked towards her daughters who nodded in response.

"They too have seeked to protect our homeland, as well as every other place in Ninjago that is in need," Kani said.

"Well, it is good to know that there are others who wish to fight to protect the goodness of our world," Sensei Wu said.

As everyone else was talking, some of Cole's attention was more on Christa. His gaze unflinching towards the princess.

He thought, _'Wow... she sings__so beautiful... just as beautiful as she is...'_

Cole tried to snapped out of it and thought, _'Wait, wait, no! She's the princess, I have to respect that... besides, she probably isn't into anyone, right? Especially not someone like me, unless she is- No, no! Stop it brain! She may have a nice voice and all... but, why can't I stop looking her way?'_

Cole continued to gaze more sweetly at Christa, until she turned towards him, and looked directly into his eyes. Cole stiffened up when she looked at him and smiled, which he tried to return, but then he turned away in embarassment.

Christa lightly giggled at his reaction with one hand on her mouth as she thought,

_'He must be... Cole, the Earth ninja. I wonder why he was staring at me? He seemed pretty nervous when I smiled at him. I wonder... I mean, he is pretty cute...'_

Kani had started leading everyone back outside to the open field, stone area. The natural light of the sky had hit everyone, as they walked up the long stairs.

Christa turned to look at Cole, and her eyes widened, as she thought,

_'Oh wow! He is... so handsome. Even those bushy brows make him look more manly-__Oh dear, what am I saying? He's probably not into a princess or any girl for that matter. But than that means he's single- Ah! No, no! Stop it brain! He has a nice face and bushy eyebrows and all... but, why can't I stop looking his way?'_

Christa gazed at Cole, and then Cole looked at Christa in that moment. They were surprised that they caught eye contact with each other, that they both quickly looked away and were lightly giggling in nervousness.

Flare caught a glimpse of this, as well as Kai. Flare and Kai looked at each other and said, simultaneously,

"Two love birds."

They looked at each other surprised, but then they chuckled and gave each other high five.

Jay saw this and said, "So, you two are friends now huh? No more pranks and such?"

Kai and Flare looked at each, and then they smirked at one another as they turned to Jay.

"Oh, no more pranks on _each other_," Kai said.

"Most definantly, we are at a truce," Flare said.

Jay was a bit disturbed by how they worded their responses. He thought,

_'Um, ok__that was odd... they aren't pranking each other, but,_ _are they_ _**going**__to prank someone... uh oh.'_

Kani stopped walking after everyone descended the stairs. She turned to them and said,

"Ok everyone, since you are going to stay awhile... Girls, you can give them a tour around Aeroplane, after I learn more about our current situation with Marcell and the other people who wish to capture Raven."

"There's much more to the story that needs to be explained. There has been a recent update in events since you received Malentha's letter," Garmadon said.

Kani nodded and said, "Please explain."

Then the story was explained, about Marcell and her sister, about Big Boss' identity, and an unknown evil plot...


	14. Chapter 14 Tour of the Floating Lands

After the explanation, Kani took a moment to process this new information.

Then she said, "Well, this situation is thicker than water if Silva is involved. I must speak with my husband about it."

Kani began to walk off, but then she stopped and turned to the others and said, "Oh, yes, Wu, Misako, Garmadon, Dr. Julien, if you would please follow me to help explain this situation to my husband. As for the rest of you, you can take the day off of course, explore the city and such."

The ninja turned to Sensei Wu for approval, and received a nod, as Sensei Wu and the others followed Kani to the outer part of the palace where the King was overlooking the whole land.

After they left, the ninja were relieved to have the rest of the day off.

"Oh man this is awesome! We get the rest of the day off," Jay said, as he raised his hands up in the air.

"Well don't get too excited. Who knows what Silva is up to next," Kai said.

Flare placed her hand on Kai's shoulder and said, "I don't think Silva will be able to find her way up here through the fog. It's perfectly safe here man. That's why my mom said we should come here."

"Oh yes, it's wonderous up here! You'll be safe with us, even_if_ Silva finds a way up here," Christa said, as she did a spin after saying 'wonderous up here'.

Then Auria said, "Indeed. Our home has been a safe haven for many generations. Besides, the likely hood of Silva finding a way up here is very slim. There is no need to trouble your minds with persistant impulses of negativity to imprint stress upon your senses."

There was silence after Auria finished speaking.

Then Jay broke the silence and said, "Oh my gosh, you sounded just like Zane for that minute."

Auria tilted her head with a puzzled look.

"I don't follow you. May you clarify?" Auria asked, and Kai replied,

"Well, it's just that, Zane is usually the one in our group that talks with, um..."

"Logical understanding beyond certain comprehension," Flare added, and then Kai said,

"Uh, yeah, what she said."

Auria looked towards Zane, and Zane looked at Auria with a surprised expression from her intellectual pattern of speech.

Auria walked closer to Zane and asked, "So, you too have a high capacity of vocabulary and understanding beyond your peers at certain points?"

Zane snapped out of his stupor and said, "Oh, um, yes I do. Of course I don't undermine my brothers lack of word-based knowledge and skill intentionally. It's just the way I was made."

Auria smiled and said, in a low voice that only Zane was able to pick up, "So... I'm not alone..."

Zane looked at Auria with a raised brow and asked, "What do you mean?"

Auria snapped out of her thoughts and said, "Oh, um, nothing."

Then she turned to the others and asked, "So everyone, would you like a little tour of Aeroplane?"

The ninja looked towards one another and then back at Auria.

Cole was the first to say, "Yeah. We'd love to see the city."

Auria, Christa, Flare, and Raven nodded at each other.

"Okay. One moment please," Christa said, as Auria, Flare, Raven, and herself walked away a few feet and huddled together to talk.

The ninja and samurai watched the girls have their discussion with raised eyebrows.

"So who is taking who where?" Christa asked, in the huddle.

"The city is pretty big, and I'm sure if we split up that would make it easier to give the tour," Flare said.

"That would work," Auria said.

"So, we show them around and then..." Raven said, questionably.

"Then we meet at the training grounds," Flare said, which the other girls nodded.

"So back to my question; Who is taking who where?" Christa asked.

"I know Jay and Nya wanted to see the aerocycles and cars," Raven said.

"I'll escort them to the Aero-Vehicle Lot," Auria said.

"Alright, good two down," Flare said.

"Oh! You should take Zane with you. He may be interested," Raven said, knowing that Zane is a nindroid and suspecting that he may have an interest in technology.

"Sure, I'll take him too," Auria said with a nod.

"Oh! Then who should I take?" Christa asked.

"I got fire boy over there. He's fun to mess with," Flare said with a mischeivous smirk.

"Okay, then I'll take... the Earth ninja, Cole," Christa said, with a little smile as she said his name.

"Then I'll take Lloyd," Raven said, hiding back a smile.

"Ooh, of _course you _would take Lloyd, huh Raven?" Flare said, teasing, as Auria and Christa looked at Raven, questionably.

Raven started to blush a light pink, as she picked up her hands and waved them back and forth saying,

"Uh, uh. I-I'm not s-sure what you mean Flare, b-but he _was_ the l-last person, s-so why not?"

"Mmhm," Flare said, as her eyes showed triumph when she heard Raven studdering.

Auria and Christa looked at one another in surprise, but then they started to giggle, as they understood what was going on. Raven's face became more pink, as she looked towards her friends, with her arms stiffly at her sides.

"W-Why are you two laughing?" Raven said, nervously.

"Aw, it's ok Raven. We understand," Christa said, with a warm smile.

Auria placed her arm around Raven's shoulders and said,

"Don't worry Raven. Your secret is safe with us. We're all friends after all."

"Sisters!" Christa said with a nod.

"Sisters," Flare said with a smile and a nod.

Raven looked at her sisterly-friends and smiled widely, as she nodded back to them.

"Alright! Let's go show our new friends around," Christa said, as the girls nodded in unison.

In the western most part of Aeroplane, Auria brought Zane, Jay, and Nya to the Aero-vehicle lot. Auria mentioned the presence of an autobody shop not too far off if they wanted to go visit. Of course, Jay wanted to be alone with Nya, so he asked Auria and Zane if he could be alone with her for awhile.

"You see, I really like like like Nya, a lot, and I wanted to spend some time with her, and-"

Auria raised her hand, midway, and Jay became silent.

Then Auria said, "I respect your wish to spent time with Nya. There is no further need to explain. If you need us just call out to the sky."

"Yes, just call for any assistance," Zane said, with a nod.

"Oh great, thanks Auria, Zane," Jay said with a big smile, as Auria and Zane nodded at him.

"Let's head off," Auria said to Zane.

Then Auria did a spin, downkick on the floor, and jumped straight up high into air, which led her to land on the building a couple of feet away. Jay and Zane 's jaws dropped open at the same time.

"S-She knows that jumping technique Marcell did!" Jay said, shocked.

"But, how would she know?" Zane asked.

"Jay! Where are you?" Nya called out, as she turned around from looking at an aerocycle engine.

"Coming Nya!" Jay called back. Then he turned to Zane and said, "I'm have to go, but maybe you can ask Auria where she learned that technique."

Zane nodded and waved to Jay, as he ran off to Nya. Zane turned towards the building where Auria jumped on, and he was able to do a few wall kicks and flips to get on the roof of the building. Auria was standing on the roof, looking out around the city when Zane jumped on the roof.

Auria turned towards him and said, "Hello Zane. So, where would you like to go?"

"Auria. May I ask, where did you learn that jumping technique?" Zane asked.

"The Spinning High Jump? I learned it from my teacher, Sensei Reine," Auria replied.

"Does your sensei know Marcell?" Zane asked.

Auria thought about it and replied, "She knows _of _Marcell, but they were not aquainted. Why?"

Zane replied, "It's just that, Marcell was the only other person I saw use that same jumping technique, and Flare's mother, Queen Malentha, was said to have mastered it as well."

Auria nodded and said, "Yes, Mrs. Malentha showed Sensei Reine how to use that technique, and years later my sensei showed me and Christa."

Zane nodded in understanding. For a moment, Zane and Auria were able to get a better look at each other. Auria noticed how Zane had such perfect features for a normal person (she doesn't know Zane is a nindroid yet), and that his eyes seemed highly knowledgable. Zane noticed how Auria had such lovely features and that her eyes seemed surreal and wise. He couldn't take his gaze away from her, somethng about her compelled him to continue looking into the eyes of the Princess of Aeroplane. Auria felt the same way about Zane, but she was able to snap out of it and turn away, which made Zane snap out of his hypnosis.

"Um, forgive me. I didn't mean to stare at you," Zane said.

"Oh, it's quite alright Zane. I apologize as well," Auria said with a nod.

"It's alright, I don't mind," Zane replied, which made them exchange smiles.

"So, where is it that you would like to visit?" Auria asked.

"Well I'm not sure what kind of places reside in Aeroplane," Zane replied.

Auria said,"Oh that's right. Well, I have a map that shows the different districts and what resides in that area."

Auria pulled out a folded paper from her pocket, and unfolded it. She placed it on the floor so that Zane could see it. Zane looked at the map, and he was able to scan and memorize each district and it's location.

"There are so many places to choose from. To think this whole civilization has been above our heads this whole time," Zane said.

Auria smiled and said, "Yes, and to think there were other ninja and vast lands below our feet this whole time."

Something in particular had caught Zane's eye.

"What is this place?" Zane asked, as he pointed to a part of the map.

Auria looked at where he pointed at, and she smiled and said,

"That is the Center of Engineering and Science. You can create whatever you will in that place with almost an unlimited supply of materials and new materials that come in to experiment with. It's pretty fascinating and informative. I can show you if you want to go. It's not too far from here."

Zane thought about it, and then he said, "Lead the way."

Auria smiled and said, "Alright then. Let's go."

Auria folded the map, and then she started hopping across the roofs while Zane followed behind her.

"I suspected a place like that would catch your eye," Auria said.

"Really? How did you figure?" Zane asked.

Auria replied, "I don't know really. I just felt like you would. Actually, I feel like there's... something we have special in common..."

Zane turned towards her and said, "I feel the same way, like if there's something different about us then anyone else."

Auria stood silent, and then Zane asked,

"What do you suppose it is?"

A memory came to Auria's mind, as she shook her head to disregard it and said,

"Um, I have no idea. Let's uh, continue shall we?"

Zane looked towards Auria with a little suspicion, but then he said, "Ok, let's continue."

As Zane and Auria continued hopping the roof tops, Zane thought, _'So it's not a coincidence. She feels the same way, but she doesn't seem comfortable to talk about it. I guess it __**is**__pretty odd... I'll respect her decision.'_

While Zane thought about this, Auria thought,

_'It's strange. I feel like__we're the same. No. That can't be possible. I'm the only one. Besides he has a father so... but then again... No, he isn't like me. No one is...' _

In the southern direction, Christa was showing Cole the body building center.

"Oh man! This gym is huge," Cole said, as he looked around the gymnasium that was a quarter of the size of a football field with two floors.

There were people exercising with the equipment all around the room, and up stairs was where the people would practice playing certain sports if the outside was raining or something like that. Cole was amazed at the size, but he was even more impressed by the number of people who were there.

"Is it full like this often?" Cole asked, and Christa replied,

"Oh yes. People love to work out here almost everyday."

"Such commitment," Cole said, as he saw one of the people working out like a beast... well, in their own mind... lifting five pound weights on the bar.

Then Christa said, "Yeah, that's how it is. It's pretty great to see the people taking care of themselves."

After watching for a while longer, Christa shyly asked Cole,

"D-Do you like music?"

Cole turned to Christa and said, "I love music."

Christa's heart sped up and she said, "Really you do?! Oh, then you must see the Music Center for Performing Greatness!"

Christa grabbed Cole's left arm and dragged him out of the body building center.

After running for a while, Christa halted in front of a building and said,

"Here it is. The music center."

Cole was able to stand firmly on his feet, as he looked up at the building.

"Whoa! This place is just as huge as the body building center. Maybe even bigger..."

Christa looked at Cole, and then she realized that she was still holding onto his arm. She quickly released his arm, and turned to the side with a slight blush while thinking,

_'I was holding his arm too long! Oh man, why am I feeling this way?!'_

Cole noticed this and he thought, _'Is she... blushing? No way. I made her blush? No...'_

Cole stood looked at Christa while she was still looking away. Then Christa slowly turned back to look at Cole, and she saw that he was still looking at her. She blushed even more and looked away, as Cole's eyes widened in surprise. Then Christa rubbed the back of her head and asked,

"So, um, shall we go inside?"

Cole snapped out of it and said, "Oh, uh, yeah. Let's go."

As they both entered the music center, Christa still had a blush on her face, but she walked ahead of Cole so that he wouldn't see.

Then Cole thought, _'I __**did**__make her blush. D-Does that mean she likes me? Like how much I like her? Wait. I shouldn't rush into__this. I mean, we just met,_ _but I feel like I've known her for a long time- Aaahhh! Now I'm getting cheesy! Oh man...'_

In the eastern most side, after their tours, Flare, Raven, Kai, and Lloyd were looking around the training grounds of Aeroplane.

"This is crazy," Kai said, as he looked out through the training field that was almost the size of a football field.

There was mostly plain land in the center ring, and outside of that was training equipment like at the monastery. The training field was on it's own island, connected by a bridge to the main island of Aeroplane. Within the center of the field, stood Kai, Lloyd, Flare, and Raven.

"This is the biggest training grounds I've ever seen in my life," Lloyd said, as he turned to look around the whole field.

"Heheh. As you can see, a lot of the ground is mostly dirt and rock since people usually come here to battle and stuff," Raven said, as she pointed to the brown colored dirt floor and the grey stone that were in diamond shapes in the dirt floor.

"All of the people use this land for training?" Kai asked, and Flare replied,

"Most of them, and the children use it as a playground on the weekends. You should see the little buggers running across the field and collasping in their parents arms after all their fun."

Kai continued observing the land, and then he asked, "So where is everyone now?"

"Well, they should be home now or doing something else. The children already ran around the field until they dropped down like flies from exhaustion like they usually do," Flare said.

Raven turned and looked around the field, while Lloyd looked towards Kai and Flare to see that they were looking the opposite way. Lloyd turned around and walked towards Raven, as her attention was now towards her water staff.

Then Lloyd said, "Um, Raven?"

Raven looked towards him and replied, "Yes Lloyd?"

Then Lloyd said, "So, did you come here to train before? With your friends?"

"Yes. I did come here to train with them. Of course, I wasn't as good as they were before I received the Gem of Ages. Then when I got the gem, I was able to fight even better, whether I was younger or older. The gem didn't really work with time, so I was able to master techniques when I was older, and still use them when I was younger. Of course it wasn't as strong, but sufficient," Raven said.

"So that gem, could make someone learn whatever technique they wanted in a shorter time since they were older, and keep that technique for a longer time since they could turn younger, right?" Lloyd asked.

Raven replied with a nod.

Then Lloyd asked, "And yet, you knew this, and you destroyed it. Why? You could have used it before and turned yourself older to fight Carlo, but you didn't. Why?"

Raven looked off to the side to think, and then she turned to Lloyd and replied,

"Even if I would've saved the gem, what good would it have done? Sooner or later, someone else might try to steal it again, like Carlo did. What if it fell into the wrong hands again, and we wouldn't have been able to get it back? Then I would of been nothing but a burden on you guys, and I would have lost you-"

Raven cut herself off at that point, and Lloyd turned towards her, wide eyed.

"Lost me?" Lloyd asked.

Raven turned away from Lloyd's gaze, but then she felt his hand on her shoulder turn her around. Lloyd looked right into Raven's eyes, as she did his, while his hand was still on her shoulder.

Then Lloyd said, "Raven. Y-you chose to stay older, not just so that the gem wouldn't fall into the wrong hands, but also because... you wanted to... be with me?"

Raven fell completely silent. Then she slowly nodded her head, and said, "Yes."

Before another word was spoken, Flare and Kai turned around to see that Lloyd and Raven were looking at each other with loving eyes. Kai and Flare looked towards each other, and then a mischeivous grin formed on both of their faces.

Kai turned towards the young ninja and called out, "Hey Lloyd!" and Flare did the same and called out, "Hey Raven!"

Lloyd and Raven quickly turned towards Kai and Flare, who were both smirking with Kai crossing his arms, and Flare having one hand on her hip. Raven and Lloyd looked back at each other and noticed how close they were. They both jumped back from one another and were blushing, while Flare and Kai walked up to the two ninja.

"Aw, how adorable. Our two baby ninja in love. It's so cute I want to puke," Flare said while grinning.

Raven replied, "Oh, um, no, no, w-we just like being together. A-As close friends you know."

Kai replied, while looking towards Lloyd, "How close is close?"

Lloyd looked at Kai with annoyance and said, "We're just close friends is all."

Flare turned around and said sarcastically, "Right, sure _only_ close friends."

Flare looked out towards the bridge with one hand above her eyes. Kai turned around as well and was trying to see what Flare was looking at. Lloyd and Raven looked at one another and smiled, while they stepped closer to one another.

Then Flare yelled out, "They're coming!"

Lloyd and Raven walked next to Kai and Flare, as they looked towards the bridge and saw five ninja and one samurai headed their way.


	15. Chapter 15 Friendly Fire

"So guys, what do you think about the city huh?" Christa asked with a smile.

"This place is great!" -Jay

"I wish I could've come here sooner." -Nya

"Who knew a place as cool as this existed." -Cole

"It's way bigger than I imagined." -Kai

"There are so many places to venture off to." -Zane

"It's awesome." -Lloyd.

Christa smiled widely, while Auria smiled and said,

"Your opinions are much appreciated, especially by my sister and I."

"Oh thank you so much. Your all very sweet," Christa said.

Flare started to walk around a bit, as she said, "You know guys, it may take awhile for the old people come over here. Why don't we spar a little?"

Kai replied, "Well bring it on. I'm ready."

Flare smirked at Kai and said, "Oh you mean like before when I kicked your butt on the Bounty?"

Kai frowned and said, "Haha Flare. This time it'll be different."

Then Christa said, "That's a splendid idea Flare. Let's fight for fun and see who's the strongest ones among us."

"I agree," Auria said and continued, "Let's test each others' skills in combat."

Then Cole said, "You sure you want to fight us Auria, Christa? I mean, we're pretty awesome you know, and-"

Cole was cut off when Auria flipped out two large fans, and Christa slipped on two gauntlets.

The fans were double the size of a normal chinese fan, and they were platinum colored with a light blue and gray line across the top most part of them.

The gauntlets were platinium colored with a golden-bronze line from each finger tip to the back of the hand that lead to a green circle on the middle of the back of each hand.

Auria and Christa held both their weapons, ready to fight. As surprised as almost everyone was, Jay was able to ask,

"Are t-those your weapons?"

Auria and Christa nodded.

"These are the Platinum Fans of Roaring Winds," Auria replied.

"And these are the Platinum Sound Gauntlets of Power," Christa replied.

The ninja were intrigued by the weapons Christa and Auria possessed.

Then Flare said, "Ok, listen up! If you want to see these platinum weapons in action, then I suggest we begin sparring eh?"

The ninja looked towards one another, and agreed with a nod.

The first two to spar was Cole and Christa:

Everyone cleared the battle ground between them and stood their distances. Cole and Christa were facing one another with their ninja hoods on in fighting stances with their weapons. Christa's hood was like Flare's and Raven's, like an eye mask of armor, and Auria had the same one too.

Then Flare yelled out, "Go ahead! FIGHT!"

Christa ran towards Cole, readying her right gaunlet into a fist. Cole held his Earth sword with both hands and stood ready for Christa's attack.

When Christa ran close enough, she thrusted her clenched fist right at Cole while yelling out, "HII YAA!"

Cole was able to block the punch with his sword, but he ended up skidding back a couple of feet from the power of the impact. Cole was surprised by how strong Christa was, and then he snapped out of it when he saw Christa was going to punch him with her left gaunlet next. Cole was able to jump back, and Christa missed him, but she ended up hitting the floor. The floor cracked where Christa had punched, and it reached towards where Cole was. Cole jumped off to the side of the large crack in the ground.

"What the-" -Cole

"HAA YAA!" -Christa

Cole quickly looked up and saw Christa jumping towards him, about to unleash her fist of fury. He was able to block her attack again, but he still skidded back a couple of feet.

As Cole tried to hold his ground, Christa was adding more pressure to her right fist, which made him skid back even more.

Cole thought, in this moment, _' I like a girl who can punch, but what the heck? She's really strong! What do I do? Wait. I'm the Ninja of Earth! I can take on whatever punches__she throws, no matter how strong they are! Sorry Christa, but I'm fighting back.' _

Cole was able to push Christa away with his sword, which made Christa do two back flips. When she landed, Cole was already in front of her in the air with his sword aiming downward. Christa gasped, as she jumped away to dodge. Cole struck the ground with his sword, which made the Earth beneath Christa softer, and ended up trapping her neck-high in the floor. Christa was surprised by this, but then she started struggling.

Cole started walking over to Christa and said, "Yeah, I gotcha!"

Christa turned to Cole and smirked while saying, "I don't think so."

Cole halted, and then Christa yelled out, "AaaaHHH! YAAH!"

Suddenly, an explosion of dust and dirt shot straight up from where Christa was grounded. Cole stood back in amazement, as the dust started to clear. After the dirt rested upon the ground once more, Cole noticed that Christa was no where to be seen.

"Huh?" Cole said, as he looked around, trying to locate Christa. Then he heard a voice from above, as he looked up and saw Christa descending towards him at full speed, readying her fists to attack. Cole charged up his Earth sword, and then he jumped up in the air, using the Earth to make himself jump higher.

As Christa's fists, and Cole's sword collided, Cole was able to use spinjitzu in the air right before the impact. He was able to grab hold of Christa's arm and swing her around, as they descended from the air. When he landed, Cole tossed Christa, in the air, away from him.

As Christa went flying away in the air, she was able to flip and gain her balance. Christa turned in the opposite direction of where Cole was, and then her right gauntlet started to glow a yellow color, as she punched with that fist. Her fist ended up hitting into something that was a variant of colors in a circular, transparent wall. Hitting this wall made Christa rebound towards Cole at a greater speed.

As she went soaring towards Cole, Christa readied her left fist, while Cole looked on in puzzlement, as he gulped when he realized that he wasted time staring instead of running away. When Christa landed her attack, the dirt scattered into the air around Cole and Christa. The others were speechless, as they ran over to where Christa and Cole were.

As the dust cleared, the others gasped in amazment and relief, as they saw that Christa actually attacked the floor in front of Cole, so that he didn't get hit directly. However, Cole had flown back on the floor a few feet away from the impact of the attack. He was trying to stand up, but it was difficult since he was a little dazed. Christa stood up, dusted herself off, and stood before Cole, offering her hand to help him to his feet. Cole accepted her hand, and he finally stood up.

"Wow. That attack was so powerful... and how you were able to bounce back over here was just amazing. How did you do that?" Cole asked, very intrigued, as he removed his ninja hood.

Christa removed her ninja hood and rubbed the back of her head as she said, "Oh, well, yeah. I can control sound waves and vibrations and stuff. The colors in the air that I hit was actually sound waves that I converted into a wall of sound so that I could bounce off of it with my fist. I can also use sound waves to break through stuff by using powerful vibrations that simulate that of an Earthquake. You know, the P waves and S waves. There's actually a lot I can do with sound..."

Cole smiled and said, "That's awesome," which Christa blushed a little.

"You were outstanding too. How you jumped so high and was able to still stand against my attack... your amazing," Christa said, while Cole became a little bashful.

Then Flare said, "Now_that _was a battle."

As the ninja commented on Cole and Christa 's battle, the two would occassionally glance at one another and smile.

The next battle was between Kai and Zane:

Each side fought awesomely, but Zane won from cleverness and wit. Zane made a large ice ball around both of them, so while Kai used his fire against Zane, the ice above them melted into water. Eventually, when Kai would try to attack since Zane would purposely taunt him, the water would shut off his fire. By the time all the ice melted, Zane was the victor, since he froze the water near Kai's feet and held his ice sword near Kai's neck.

"O-Okay Okay! You w-won," Kai said, shivering.

"Thank you Kai. It was fun," Zane said, as he recalled the ice around Kai's feet.

"Yeah, Yeah Zane," Kai said, a little annoyed, as Zane just smiled.

The third battle was between Auria and Raven:

They didn't use their elemental abilities at all in this fight. They just fought with their weapons and tai jutsu (That's right. I got that from Naruto). However, Auria's technique and fighting style was able to combat Raven's just enough to help Auria win the fight.

"Aw man, I lost," Raven said, as she lowered her head.

"Don't feel bad Raven. Your skills have excelled greatly since last time, and I believe you will continue to improve, awesomely," Auria said with a smile, as Raven smiled back with more confidence.

The fourth battle was between Lloyd and Flare:

Flare was glad to have a rematch with Lloyd, as was Lloyd. The fight started.

"Ok Lloyd, let's see what you got. This time I'm ready," Flare said, as she held out her two scimitars in a fighting stance.

Then Lloyd assumed a fighting stance and said, "Alright, show me what'cha got."

Flare slashed at Lloyd which released a dark energy wave in his direction. He was able to dodge the attack, as Flare ran up to him, and attacked him with her white scimitar. Lloyd was able to catch the sword with his hand that was encased in golden energy. After a moment of struggle, Flare grabbed Lloyd's wrist and gripped it tight. Lloyd was confused, until he heard Flare yell out,

"Ninja GO!"

Flare suddenly started to spin rapidly into a small orange tornado with light and dark energy circling around it, while holding onto Lloyd's wrist. Then Flare stopped spinning, which sent Lloyd flying a couple of feet away from Flare.

"Hey, wait! How do you know spinjitzu? We didn't show you yet," Lloyd asked, as he picked himself up off the floor.

Flare smirked and said, "Well, if you _really_ want to know, a certain samurai warrior showed us some of her moves."

Lloyd's eyes widened, as he looked towards Nya, which made her smile and rub the back of her head. Lloyd turned back to Flare, as she started running towards him.

"Let's see what you can do now Spinjitzu Master!" Flare yelled out.

Lloyd smirked at that comment, and then he ran towards Flare. They both used spinjitzu as they collided.

The fifth battle... oh sorry... you want to know what happened in Flare and Lloyd's battle right?.

Well, they both clashed and stood spinning for awhile. They kept pushing each other back and forth, until finally Lloyd was able to push Flare back further, and send her off balance on the floor. Flare glared at Lloyd from the floor. as he extended his hand to help her up. Instead getting up herself, the Fire princess gave in, and she accepted his hand.

"Well, I guess your still the Spinjitzu Master huh? I'm gonna have to train more," Flare said, and Lloyd replied,

"Your still pretty tough to beat Flare, even now."

Flare smirked while closing her eyes, and Lloyd just smiled.

Ok, back to the fifth battle. This fight was between Auria and Zane:

They stood staring each other down for awhile. Then Auria whipped out her Wind fans and Zane his Ice sword. They both charged at each other at the same time. Auria was able to block Zane's first attack, and then she pushed him back and started to swip her fans at him in quick movements and a few spins. Zane was able to dodge and block all of her attacks, but then Auria did an upper-cut wave of her fan that sent a gust of wind blowing up that hit Zane up into the air for a moment. Zane was able to quickly get up, but then he immediately did a barrel roll, as Auria jumped up and slashed her fans down to hit him.

After dodging this, Zane was able to quickly use his ice on the floor beneath Auria. The ice spreaded up to Auria's knees as she struggled to break free. Zane ran up to Auria, but he was slapped away by Auria's fan with the wind, which sent Zane back a couple of feet. He was able to do a back flip and land on his feet. Then Zane ran fast over to Auria, while dodging her wind attacks with spinjitzu.

As Zane came closer, Auria was able to break free from the ice after slashing at it with one of her fans. Zane kept running towards Auria, and she smirked. Zane noticed that Auria wasn't retreating, but before he could try to stop running, Auria yelled out,

"Ninja GO! Tornado Spiral!"

Zane was taken by surprise when he saw Auria spinning, with the power of wind, in a grey and white tornado. However, Zane's eyes widened as the tornado grew bigger and taller, almost four times larger than a regular spinjitzu tornado. Zane tried to move away, but the tornado bended over and sucked him up. The other ninja gasped, as Zane went spiraling into the tornado's vortex. The tornado stood upright, as Zane descended the depths of the tornado while spinning around faster and faster. Then when Zane reached the bottom, he saw Auria standing there waiting for him. She attached using both of her fans together as one, and swipped at Zane, which sent him flying away, as the power of the tornado passed through Auria's fans and out towards him.

Zane flew a pretty long distance away from where Auria was, and he hit right into the floor. Dust and wind gathered around him, as the others, including Auria, rushed to his aid.

After the dust cleared, everyone signed in relief, as they saw Zane standing up while holding his head and walking weird from being dizzy.

"Zane! Are you alright?" -Kai

"Are you ok?" -Cole

"You went flying." -Jay

"I'm surprised your not hurt that bad." -Flare

Auria stepped closer towards Zane and held him steady.

"I'm sorry Zane. I didn't mean to hit you so hard. I should've been more careful," Auria said, concerned.

Zane shook off the dizziness and he replied, "It's quite alright Auria, I'm fine. The skill and power you have displayed was very impressive."

Auria smiled in relief and bashfulness, as she said, "Thank you Zane... Though my skills aren't the best, they're just adequate I guess."

Then Zane said, "Your skills are more formidable than any opponent I have faced thus far."

Auria was surprised by Zane's words, and was even more surprised that his expression was so sincere. Before she could say another word, the other ninja gathered around and were complementing Zane and Auria from the battle they had witnessed.

The sixth battle was between Lloyd and Christa:

They stood staring each other down while the others looked on in excitement.

Lloyd thought, _'Ok. Christa is very powerful. Those gauntlets use sound and power to overwhelm her opponents. But she's sharp. I'll have to be careful.'_

Christa thought, _'Well, Lloyd was strong enough to handle Flare, and she can be a handful... I should be careful with him. Especially since he __**is**__the Golden Spinjitzu Master.'_

Then the fight began after Flare yelled out, "Are you gonna fight, or stand there?!"

Lloyd and Christa snapped out of their thoughts, and they both charged at one another at the same time. Christa readied her fist, as well as Lloyd, who charged his power into his own fists. Both attacks collided. Christa rebounded, as well as Lloyd.

A large thundering noise was heard from the impact, that even reached towards the main land of Aeroplane.

Christa and Lloyd rose up from being pushed back. Christa ran towards Lloyd, as he stood his ground. When Christa was close enough to Lloyd, she skidded as she clapped her hands together. A sound wave was released from the clap, which sent Lloyd flying back a couple of feet.

Lloyd was able to shake it off, but when he looked up, Christa was in the air coming down, ready to strike him. Lloyd jumped away quick, as Christa punched the floor and made a large dent within the floor around her. She looked up to see where Lloyd was, but she didn't see him. She tilted her head in confusion and stood straight up. Then Christa spun around quick when she heard Lloyd yell out, "Ninja Go!" Lloyd was spinning towards Christa, and she stood back not knowing what to do. Then Christa charged her fist and striked at Lloyd, while he was using his spinjitzu.

After a moment of struggle, Lloyd was slowing down, while Christa stood her ground. Then Christa's hand got pushed back, as Lloyd got pushed back after both attacks were cancelled. Then Christa ran up to Lloyd and kicked him while doing a back flip. Lloyd went flying back, but then he was able to do a back flip the same time Christa did her back flip.

As they both landed, Lloyd sent out a small fire ball under Christa's feet.

"Ow ow ow! That's hot! Ouch!" Christa yelled out, as she was hopping up and down on the fire beneath her feet before it went out.

Christa signed in relief, but then she looked up and saw Lloyd standing in front of her with lightening in his hand towards her direction. Christa stood frozen for a moment, but then she put her hands up in surrender.

"Well, you got me Golden ninja," Christa said.

Lloyd put his hand down and said, "Yeah, sorry about that."

Then Christa put her hands down, bowed, and smiled at Lloyd saying, "It's alright man. I concede my defeat. I have to say though, your really strong."

Lloyd also bowed and said, "Thanks. Your really strong too, and faster than I thought."

The other ninja came over and commented on the fight.

"Christa almost gotcha you there, huh Lloyd?" -Kai

"Wow. Your both really strong." -Nya

"That was pretty fast." -Flare

"Whoa. Christa, you were able to take on Lloyd's spinjitzu with one fist..." -Cole

"Perfect timing with the fire Lloyd." -Zane

"That was cool guys." -Raven

Auria walked up Christa and put her hand on her shoulder and smiled, while Christa smiled back.

Then Raven walked up to Lloyd and said, "Wow Lloyd, your really strong. Even your mind is very sharp."

Lloyd smiled while rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, um, yeah. I guess so. Coming from you that means a lot." Lloyd said, and Raven tilted her head slightly while smiling at Lloyd.

The final battle was between Lloyd and Auria:

The other ninja stood a little farther back.

"Oh man, this is going to be awesome! They're both like, the best fighters so far," Jay said.

Flare replied, "Oh yes, they are... but Auria is going to beat Lloyd."

Kai turned towards Flare and said, "Uh, I believe you are mistaken. I mean, Lloyd _is_ the Master of Spinjitzu."

"He'll need more than spinjitzu to beat Auria. She's not one to underestimate," Flare said.

Then Cole cut in, "Uh guys, they're waiting for us to tell them to start."

Flare and Kai turned their attention to the battle field. Then Christa cupped her hands together, with her gauntlets on, and her voice projected like a mega phone,

"OKAY, BEGIN!"

The other ninja and samurai were surprised by this besides Raven and Flare.

Lloyd and Auria stared each other down for a few seconds. Then Auria spinned around and unleashed a wind attack similar to Flare's energy attacks. Lloyd was able to dodge it while charging his hands with fire. He shot fire balls in Auria's direction, and she responded by spinning around after saying, "Ninja GO!" The fire balls were absorbed into Auria's whirlwind and she started moving closer to Lloyd. Lloyd jumped back, and then Auria unleashed another wind attack that was enhanced by Lloyd's earlier fire attack.

As the flaming wind pursued him, Lloyd was able to protect himself with a glowing Golden-Green shield around his body.

After the flaming wind was dispelled, Lloyd looked around and didn't see Auria in sight. Then Lloyd quickly looked up and saw Auria was in the air with both fans clasped together as one. Auria swipped her fan across where Lloyd was, and unleashed a powerful wind slash that was rapidly proceeding towards the Gold ninja. Lloyd stood his ground and punched into the floor, which made the Earth beneath him lift up and act as a shield against the wind slash. However, Lloyd saw that the wind slash was too powerful for the Earth shield to hold up.

As the Earth shield cracked, Lloyd stood back and noticed that Auria was on the ground, holding her two fans in each hand and was charging them. Then she unleashed another powerful wind strike that would surely break Lloyd's Earth shield and damage him in the process. Lloyd only had a few seconds to think, which helped him to figure out what he had to do.

After Auria's wind strike broke through the Earth shield, she was shocked to see that Lloyd wasn't there anymore. Then Auria felt a movement of wind above her, as she looked up and saw Lloyd descending down to where she was, with Golden energy encasing his right hand. Auria jumped back, as Lloyd made contact with the ground, and a large amount of dust and dirt rose among the two of them.

The ninja were baffled, and stared in silence, as the dust started to fade. The ninja and samurai decided to run over and see what happened to the two fighters.

As the dust cleared and the others stood a few feet away, they gasped at what they saw: Lloyd and Auria were facing each other, with Lloyd's left hand charged with Golden power in front of Auria's face, and Auria holding her charged up Wind fan near Lloyd's neck. The two stood still, staring each other down.

The battle was, indeed, a draw. No one on either side could make a move that wouldn't result in anything but that.

Then Lloyd's charged hand and Auria's charged fan returned to their normal states. The two drew back from one another and removed their ninja hoods.

"Man, I can't believe you caught me there," Lloyd said.

"Yes, and I didn't expect you to do the same to me," Auria said.

Then Auria asked Lloyd, "How did you end up above me anyway?"

Lloyd smirked and said, "Well, let's just say I saw a certain vampire use a jumping technique, that I thought would be useful in the last moment."

Auria's eyes widened in surprise, as did the others.

Then Auria said, "You figured out how to use the Spinning High Jump on your own. That is-"

"Exemplary," Another voice had finished Auria's sentence.

The ninja and samurai turned and saw a man walking up to them, as well as Sensei Wu, Garmadon, Misako, Dr. Julien, and Queen Kani. Christa ran up to the man and gave him a hug, while Auria did the same.

"Father!" Both girls said at the same time, which surprised the ninja and samurai, as they tried to straighten up from their previous battles.

"So, these are the ninja I've heard so much about. Even Flare and Raven have arrived here as well. That's wonderful," The King said, as he stepped towards the ninja and samurai, and they bowed to him in respect, as he did the same.

"My name is Shou. King Shou as my people address me," King Shou said. He had blonde hair that was spiked up on the left and right side of his head, and bangs that stood just above his eyes. He wore a long white cape with fur at the end of it, and the clothes under was a dark grey shirt and black pants, with three belts angled around his waist of gold, white, and black. His pants had two strapes of black and white wrapped around the ankles.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, your Majesty. My name is Cole," Cole said.

"I'm Jay."

"Kai."

"Nya, sir."

"Lloyd."

"Zane, your highness."

King Shou smiled and said, "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. Welcome to Aeroplane. Though I suspect you've already had a look around the city, yes?"

The ninja and samurai nodded.

"This place is totally awesome," Jay said.

King Shou nodded and said, "I'm happy to here that, thank you."

Then Shou turned to Lloyd and said, "So your the Golden Spinjitzu Master and the Green ninja hm? Well after seeing your performance when sparring with my daughter, I can see _why_ you are the Defender of Ninjago."

Lloyd smiled and said, "Thank you your Highness. It was nothing really. I was just doing what's right."

The King smiled at Lloyd's humbleness.

Then Shou turned towards Raven and said, "I heard about what's going on. So Silva is after you for an unknown reason correct?"

Raven nodded and the King said, "Hm... I wonder why she would show herself now?"

Then Cole asked, "Excuse me, King Shou, your highness, do you know Silva?"

The King looked towards Cole and said, "Yes. My wife and I used to know Silva. She was pretty mysterious, and a little cold blooded sometimes. But all in all she was pretty calm, collective, and easy to get along with. Kani and I use to see her a sometimes when we were younger and traveling below ground to see the world below us. We would run into Silva, and she would show us passageways and shortcuts across the land. We knew she lived somewhere near a mountain, but she never gave us anymore details than that. Then one day, she just vanished, and we haven't seen her since then."

Then Kani said, "I think she used to go to a certain school that your mother went to, Raven. It was a special school though like Bellicose, but not only for the evilly gifted of course. I think it was called... Tokemi's School of Hidden Arts. Yes that's it. Silva went there, and I heard she was an ace student. Then she left, and no one's seen her since. I don't have anymore knowledge to offer besides what I already told you. I'm sorry."

Sensei Wu replied, "It's quite alright, your highness. You and your husband have given us plenty of information to work with, thank you."

The King and Queen nodded.

Then Jay said, "So all we need to do is ask Raven's mom what she knows about Silva."

Suddenly the atmosphere shifted to a sadness between Shou, Kani, Flare, Auria, Christa, and Raven especially. The others noticed this, and they stood quiet, until Cole asked,

"Uh, hey guys, what's wrong?"

The four princesses and the King and Queen snapped out of their thoughts.

"Well, um, it's best to go inside now it's getting late anyway," King Shou said.

As the King and Queen started to leave, the others followed. There was a tension in the air that wasn't threatening, but more sorrowful. The ninja and samurai didn't speak, as well as the parents and Sensei Wu. They all just looked at each other, wondering what was going on and trying to find an answer. However, no answer was given. The only person who knew other then the princesses and the King and Queen was Nya, but she didn't feel it was her place to say anything.

After darkness had come, and the full moon was clearly visible in the sky, the Ninja crew decided to turn in for the night.

"What do you think _that_ was about?" Cole asked the other guys, as they were brushing their teeth in five separate sinks in a bathroom of a guest room.

"They all started acting strange when Jay asked about Raven's mother," Kai said.

"Do you think something happened to Raven's mother?" Zane asked.

Jay turned to Lloyd and said, "Hey Lloyd, Raven's your girlfriend right? You should ask her what's up."

Lloyd blushed and said, "Wha- no! She's not my girlfriend. I already said that we're just friends."

Then Kai looked towards Lloyd with a smirk and said, "I'm sure she is. And you wouldn't want to be_more_ than that?"

Lloyd stood quiet with his eyes widened while looking at Kai. Lloyd blushed even more, and then he quickly exited the bathroom.

"Aw how cute," Cole said, as he finished brushing and was gathering his stuff to go to his bed.

"He totally likes her," Jay said.

"Raven's mother must have had quite an impact on the girls lives, and even the King and Queen. Do you think her mother is..." Zane trailed off.

The three ninja looked at each other in realization of what Zane was getting at.

"She's not dead."

The boys in the bathroom turned towards the door when they heard a voice outside. They looked out and saw Lloyd standing near the opened front door, and the person standing in the doorway was Auria.

"Then, what happened to her? And how did you know what we were talking about?" Lloyd asked.

Auria signed and said, "Well, I know her mother is not dead, but I think it's best if Raven tells you about it when she's ready. Also, I just figured you guys were talking about it, especially from our behavior from earlier."

Before Lloyd could ask another question, Auria lightly bowed and said, "Well, goodnight gentlemen. Until tomorrow."

Auria left. as she pulled the door close. The ninja stood standing there for a while until Jay said,

"Ok, am I the only one who found that weird?"

The other guys looked at Jay and said 'Mmhm'. Then the ninja jumped in their five separate beds of white each positioned near a head-board opposite of the door with a window between each one.

"We'll figure that out tomorrow. Let's just get some sleep," Kai said, as the ninja laid to rest.

Zane was finding a difficult time to sleep, since he was concerned about Auria.

_'By the look in her eyes, she is in more distress than she is letting on. The way her eyes are... they__seem similar to how my brothers and I looked when Sensei Wu was eaten- Wait a minute! Could Raven's mother be... Sensei Reine?'_ After pondering this for a bit longer, Zane decided to ask Auria tomorrow, and he went to sleep.

The next morning, everyone was wide awake on the heli pad from when they first rode on the aerocars. Sensei Wu was sitting down, drinking his tea with Garmadon, Misako, and Dr. Julien, while the other ninja and samurai were looking at the majestic world above the clouds.

"I'm tired," Flare said as she yawned.

Then Kai asked, "What's the matter? Couldn't sleep last night?"

Flare replied, "Of course I couldn't sleep well. Why else would I be tired?"

Kai pouted, and then he asked, "Okay, _why_ couldn't you sleep then?"

Flare looked out towards the city, and then she replied, "I'm... I'm just concerned for my friends. Well, Raven especially, you know."

Kai looked down, and then he looked at Flare and asked, "Flare, what happened to Raven's mother?"

Flare shot a look at Kai, which made him move his head back when he saw how serious she instantly became.

Then Flare signed and said, "I'm sorry Kai. I was told not to say anything. Only Raven should."

Kai was a little surprised, but then he gave in and said nothing more about it.

"-sign- I'll never get tired of this view," Cole said, and Christa replied,

"You too, huh?"

Cole turned towards Christa and smiled, as she smiled back.

Auria saw this exchange between Cole and Christa, and she smiled slightly.

"Auria."

Auria turned and saw that Zane was the one who called her name.

"Yes, Zane?" Auria replied.

Zane thought for a moment, and then he said, "Auria. I don't wish to distress you in anyway, but may I ask... Is Raven's mother also Sensei Reine?"

Auria lightly gasped, but she replied by nodding slowly.

"Yes. Raven's mother is our sensei. She is the most kind and caring sensei I've ever had. That's all I will wish to reveal. If Raven wants to tell you more, then she will when she is ready."

Zane nodded and said, "I understand."

Auria nodded back, and then she looked back towards the others. Then Zane thought to ask Auria a question.

"Auria. I've been meaning to ask you, do you know what a nin-"

Zane immediately stopped talking when he realized that his falcon was sending him a signal.

"Zane? What's the matter?" Auria turned to him and asked.

Zane turned his head slightly and said, "My falcon has spotted something. I have to see... Falcon vision."

Zane's eyes started to glow blue, since he was now seeing through the Falcon's eyes. Auria was very surprised to see this.

_'What? Zane... What are you?'_ Auria thought, as Zane continued looking through the Falcon's eyes.

Raven stood closer to the edge, looking out beyond the city. Lloyd stood next to her and asked,

"Hey Raven. How are you feeling today?"

Raven looked towards Lloyd and smiled.

"Hello Lloyd. I'm doing good. How about you?" Raven asked.

Lloyd nodded and said, "I'm good."

They both turned to look beyond the city. Then they both noticed something in the distance, a black thing heading towards the Aeroplane. Lloyd and Raven sqwinted, but they couldn't quite see what it was.

Then they heard Zane gasp and say, "She's coming!"

"Who's coming?" Kai asked.

Zane replied, "It's Silva! She's coming here!"

**Don't you just love cliffhangers. ;) Yeah me neither...**


	16. Chapter 16 First Confrontation

Everyone looked right towards Zane in shock.

"Are you certain it's Silva?" King Shou asked, as Queen Kani and himself were walking towards the Ninja Crew.

They just came outside to see where the others were, when they heard Zane shout out that Silva was coming.

Zane nodded and said, "I saw her through my falcon's eyes. She's on what appears to be a flying ship, like the Bounty but more devious and evil. There were two other flying vehicles in the shape of crows following the ship. They're heading straight to Aeroplane."

Shou nodded, as he looked out towards where Silva was coming from. Then he jumped off the heli pad. The others were shocked, until they saw Shou flying upward on a hover-board.

"Now that's _to__o_ awesome," Jay said.

Then Shou looked towards Kani and said, "Go warn the surrounding area about Silva's arrival my love. I'll go set the troops for battle."

Before Shou left, Cole called out, "Hang on your majesty, we'll help fight too."

"Yeah! We've got a score to settle with Silva and her goons," Flare said, as she nudged her fist into her hand.

Shou looked at them and smirked, while he turned around and said, "Alright. Let's move out!"

Shou started flying with his hover-board to prepare his troops.

Auria, Christa, and Flare told everyone else to stand back. The girls' weapons began to glow and nearly blind the others. Then, when the light faded, the ninja and parents saw three vehicles of which each girl was occupying:

Auria's vehicle had large feathered wings on the sides of it that were vertically attached. The body of the vehicle was in the shape of a bobsleigh, with Auria standing in the center-front where two handles, like on a motorcycle, reached the floor of the vehicle. The body of the vehicle was grey with a silver line across it, while the wings were white, and the engine boosters on the back were sky blue. This machine was hovering above the ground.

Christa's vehicle was a circular-shape body with four floating discs that circled around the center body. Christa was within the vehicle sitting, holding onto two short handles like a motorcycle as well. The vehicle hovered above the floor without wheels, and the back had three green boosters. The body was yellow on top and white on the bottom with one stripe of black were the colors meet. The floating discs were all yellow while the bottom was black.

Flare's vehicle was like a motorcycle but different. It had four big wheels with two together on the front and two together on the back like an airplane, and two little wheels that didn't touch the floor on the center sides. The sides of the motorcycle had two wings like an airplane that pointed back at the tips. Flare was sitting within the vehicle, using a steering wheel and a few other buttons. The vehicle was orange on top that flamed down to the black bottom while the wheels and wings were white, but the wings were grey at the tips.

All the vehicles had clear windows in front of them to protect the girls' faces.

The ninja's jaws dropped.

"What are you gapping at you fools? We have to hurry! Jump in!" Flare said.

The ninja snapped out of their amazement, and they jumped into each vehicle. Sensei Wu, Garmadon, Nya, and Misako jumped in the vehicles as well.

Christa had Cole, Misako and Garmadon in her hover-car; Flare had Kai, Nya, and Jay in her motorbike; and Auria had Zane and Sensei Wu in her flying bike.

Lloyd wanted to go too, but Sensei Wu stopped him and said, "Lloyd, it's better if you stay behind. You would be of better use here than where were going."

"But Sensei I could help," Lloyd said.

"You have a more important task to take care of here, Lloyd," Garmadon said.

Garmadon glanced towards Raven, as did Lloyd. Then Lloyd looked back at his father and uncle and nodded, as they nodded towards him.

Then the vehicles took off. Auria's flying bike flew across the sky, Christa's hover-car glided but bounces back up when if lands with sound power, and Flare's vehicle drove regularly, but when it hops off a ramp, it gets an extra boost through the air.

"Man! Where did you get these hot rides?" Jay asked, and Christa replied,

"We were able to summon them with our weapons, well, our weapons _transformed_ into these vehicles to be exact. At will, we can turn them back to their original form... or if we end up unconscious or something like that."

Then Cole replied, "That's like how the golden weapons used to work. That's funny how the platinum weapons and golden weapons are so much alike."

Christa turned to Cole and said, "Do they? I've never seen the golden weapons in person tho-"

"LOOK OUT!" Misako yelled out, as Christa turned and saw a building in front of them.

Christa pressed a button on the handles and the vehicle bounced up above the building.

"No need to worry. This time I'm gluing my eyes to the road," Christa said with a smile, as she continued to drive, following Flare and Auria to confront Silva and her minions.

Back at the helipad, Lloyd, Raven, and Dr. Julien stood together looking out towards where the others departed. Dr. Julien noticed that Raven and Lloyd were the most worried about the others, so he walked closer to them to get their attention.

"Hey. There's no need to fret. I'm sure everyone will be fine," Dr. Julien said with a smile.

Lloyd and Raven thought about it, and then they turned to Dr. Julien and smiled.

"Your right. There's no need for us to worry. They're all strong, they can handle Silva and her goons," Lloyd said, as the three started walking towards the castle tower.

"Here we go," Kai said, as all the ninja stood lined up horizontally in front of Silva's goons, who already landed by the time the ninja arrived. The guy minions had black pants and royal navy shirts with open black leather jackets, and a white 'X' on the front. The girl minions wore black shirts with royal blue scarves and black pants. Three guys and two gals had brown hair, two guys and three gals had black hair, one guy and four gals had orange-red hair, four guys and one gal had gold hair, and two gals and three guys had light brown hair with light highlights. The total minions were twenty five. They stood with their weapons that ranged between swords, knives, scythes, staffs, spiked-ball on chains, and large hammers.

The ninja had all their weapons ready: Kai, Zane, Cole, and Jay had their elemental swords; Flare, Auria and Christa had their platinum weapons; Sensei Wu had his stick; Misako had one hunting knife; Garmadon had a spear, given to him by the king; King Shou had a bow and arrow that could become a sword of awesome might; and Kani had two sickles in each hand, and one she had on her back just in case. There were also some soldiers of the king counting ten in white armor on the chest and legs and grey under armor clothes... if that's what you call them. The soldiers had swords, bow and arrows, and spears.

"Ready..." King Shou said, as everyone readied themselves around an area of the city that was a large circle surrounded by the city buildings.

"Now! Attack!"

The good warriors and evil minions clashed with mighty fury.

However, two people wearing hoods weren't present during this fight. They went over to where the aerocars and aerocycles were. They jumped on one of the aerocycles and took off.

"Heeeyyy! Wait, you can't take that!" Gary yelled out, but the two hooded ones were gone.

"Time to retrieve the young kunoichi, eh Ryan?" Silva said, as she removed her hood while driving the aerocycle.

"Yeah. I guess," Ryan said, as he looked ahead and saw two ninja and a scientist walking towards a castle tower.

Lloyd suddenly stopped in his tracks. Raven and Dr. Julien turned towards him and stopped walking. They were about to question him when Lloyd said,

"Someone's coming."

Lloyd turned around, and he noticed an aerocycle approaching. There was one person on the aerocycle with steel colored eyes, and a grin of mischief etched across her face.

"Silva," Lloyd said in all seriousness, as he put his ninja hood on and stood forward to guard Raven and Dr. Julien.

Raven gasped at the sight of Silva, and Dr. Julien stood in front of Raven protectively.

Silva put the kick stand for the aerocycle even though it didn't make much of a difference, since the cycle was hovering above the floor. She hopped off the aerocycle and slowly approached Lloyd with a cheeky grin on her face.

"So Green ninja, we finally meet face to face. Though I should say Golden ninja based on your gi, or is it Golden Spinjitzu Master? All well. It's still a pleasure, don't you think? Heh heh heh. Anyway, I'm a busy woman so, I would appreciate it _greatly_ if you handed Raven over to me so that I can be on my way," Silva said, as she approached Lloyd, who stood his ground.

After she finished speaking, Lloyd thought,

_'She thinks she can force Marcell to serve her, __hurt my mother, attack Aeroplane,__ and think I'll just hand Raven over? Well here's my answer...'_

"Silva," Lloyd said, which made Silva stop in her tracks about ten feet away from him.

"I'll tell you this right now. I will _never_ hand Raven over to the likes of you!" Lloyd said, with fiery determination.

Silva was impressed by Lloyd's determination and committment. However, she started to giggle, and then she burst out laughing evilly, yet calmly.

"Do you think _you_ can stand in my way? Oh you foolish boy. You don't realize who your dealing with," Silva said with a sly smile.

"Do you know who _your_ dealing with?" Lloyd replied.

Silva once again laughed and said, "Ah, how bold you are. Just like your mother. You know, sometimes that boldness is helpful..."

Then she pulled out a black glove and put it on her right hand. Then, a blade came out from the back hand of the black glove, and became a glove blade.

"But sometimes that boldness is what leads to defeat!" Silva finished her sentence.

Silva ran towards Lloyd with the glove blade, and he ran towards her. Silva swiped the blade at Lloyd's legs, which he was able to dodge by jumping over her. Then, as Lloyd landed, Silva turned around to strike him with the blade. Lloyd was able to grab hold of the blade with both hands to prevent it from slashing his head.

As he struggled to hold it up, Silva smiled at Lloyd, darkly, as she revealed her other glove blade that was one her hand already. Lloyd's eyes widened, as Silva attempted to cut him with the other blade. Lloyd jumped back quickly, and started charging a golden-green energy ball. Silva ran up to Lloyd, full force, as he shot out a beam of golden-green light energy at her. Silva snickered, as she blocked the attack by putting her blades in an 'X' form in front of her, while running through the beam of light. Lloyd tried to use more power to push Silva back, but it only slowed her down a bit, as she continued to charge through the energy beam.

Silva made it to the source of the beam right in front of Lloyd, and she side stepped to the left and put her left hand on the floor, as she swipped her leg under Lloyd's, which made him land on his back. Lloyd hit the floor and his energy beam died off, as Silva stood up on her two feet again. She jumped up with her blades upward, and then she thrusted downward with the two blades to stave him. Lloyd saw this, and he rolled over to the side while jumping up to his feet, as Silva hit right into the ground. Silva's blade staved threw the floor, but she easily pulled it out of the ground and looked towards Lloyd.

Then Silva smiled wickly, which made Lloyd stiffen trying to predict what Silva was going to do... which wasn't easy for him to do since she wasn't so predictable. Silva lifted her head and smirked at Lloyd in a 'your too easy' look, which made Lloyd confused until he heard a cry.

"LLOYD! HEEEELP!" Hearing Raven's plea, Lloyd quickly turned around and saw that the guy in the hood was carrying a tied up Raven to the aerocycle.

Lloyd turned towards where Dr. Julien was and gasped when he saw the old man on the floor nearly unconscious. Lloyd turned towards Silva, who was laughing, as she vanished in a puff of gray and black smoke. Lloyd looked towards where Raven was being taken, and he ran towards her, and even more so when he saw that Silva was in the front seat ready to drive off.

"Lloyd!" Raven called out again after she was placed on the motorcycle, sideways.

Then Silva tried to drive off, when the aerocycle came to a complete hault at a sixty degree angle, upward.

Silva and Ryan turned around, as they saw that Lloyd was holding onto the back of the aerocycle.

"Er! Your. Not. Taking. HER!" Lloyd yelled out, as he pulled the aerocycle back a few feet.

"Boy, you are trying my patience!" Silva shouted, as she hit the blue button on the machine.

The aerocycle began boosting forward, but Lloyd was able to use all his strength to hold it back, while bending the titanium outside of the aerocycle.

"Stop the foolish boy, Ryan!" Silva yelled out to Ryan, the hooded stranger.

Ryan signed. He hopped off the aerocycle and started walking towards the Golden ninja. Lloyd looked towards Ryan, while struggling to hold the aerocycle. Ryan raised up his hand as he continued walking towards Lloyd, when Dr. Julien came out of nowhere and tackled Ryan. However, Ryan didn't really fall on the floor, but he was pushed back a little when the old man jumped him.

As Ryan struggled a bit to get Dr. Julien off of him, Silva was annoyed by this time. Yet, when she turned back towards Lloyd, she saw that he had broken the engine of the aerocycle, which made it hit the floor.

Before Silva could grab Raven, Lloyd already pulled Raven out of the aerocycle, and placed her on the ground beside him. Silva started to become angry, but then she shook it off and relaxed, as she jumped off the aerocycle. Ryan followed Silva and jumped back next to her, while Dr. Julien was able to run over towards where Lloyd and Raven was.

As each side stared each other down, suddenly an attack from above caused Silva and Ryan to jump closer to the edge of the helipad. They saw that the attack was a fire and a light and dark energy attack. Silva smirked while Ryan had no reaction, as they saw the rest of the Ninja crew jump down from three vehicles that had turned back into normal weapons. They all stood around Lloyd, Raven, and Dr. Julien.

"Not so-" Kai was cut off when Cole said,

"Kai. Don't even say it!"

"What? I couldn't think of anything better to say."

Then Flare said, "Kai, leave the cool ending remarks to the pros."

Flare extended her white blade toward Silva and Ryan, and glared at them with a menacing look of angered annoyance.

After assessing the situation, Silva bowed her head a little and said, "Alright, alright. We shall take our leave for now, but don't expect for us to let you go so easily next time. There's still enough time left. So enjoy the time you have now..."

Silva turned her back and said, "Til Darkness falls... See ya then."

Then Silva and Ryan disappeared: Silva in a puff of grey and black smoke, while Ryan disappeared in a black flash.

After a few minutes of standing there waiting... and waiting... and waiting... and wait-

"Um, I think they're gone," Jay said, and everyone finally relaxed.

Then Shou and Kani flew over on their hover boards, and jumped down near the others.

"Silva and her minions have fled," King Shou said.

"Thank goodness your all alright," Queen Kani said.

"I don't know about all of us. My head still hurts," said Dr. Julien, as he rubbed his head.

"Don't worry Doctor. I have just the thing," Kani said, as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a clear glass bottle and a cotton swab.

"I hope it doesn't sting," Dr. Julien said with a smile.

"Oh don't worry, it will only be a small pinch," Kani said, as she dabbed the back of Dr. Julien's head where he was hit.

Then Dr. Julien said, "Oh wow. That works great! My head doesn't hurt anymore. But I didn't have a cut, only a headache. How did that-"

"It's a special serum that's soaked up deep into the skin tissue to the muscle tissue, and starts to heal any damage done even bruises. It can even reach the bones and lubricate them to lessen pain," Kani said.

"Yeah, but unlike healing the muscles and lessening bone pain, my healing ointment can heal cuts, wounds, and bone damage," Flare said, and then Kani said,

"Well then, here. You can take this bottle, I have plenty more in stock," Kani said, as she handed Flare the bottle, which she took greatfully and said,

"Thank you your majesty."

After this, Lloyd was able to untie Raven and he asked, "Are you okay, Raven?"

Raven replied, "Yes I'm alright, Lloyd. Thank you for helping me."

Lloyd smiled and said, "Eh, no biggy. I would do anything to protect you."

Raven smiled back, as she held Lloyd's hand, but then she let go when he winced at her touch. Then Raven asked,

"Lloyd, did you strain yourself holding the aerocycle?"

Lloyd looked into Raven's eyes, and he knew that he couldn't try to act tough from seeing that Raven wasn't going to hear it. She was very concerned and she pretty much knew what was wrong with him.

So Lloyd gave in and said, "-sign- Yes. Holding the aerocycle took a toll on my hands. They hurt pretty bad."

Raven turned towards Flare and asked, "Flare. May I borrow some serum?"

Flare passed Raven a cotton swab with some of the serum on it. As Raven took off Lloyd's gloves and started to pat his hands with the serum, Lloyd winced again from the contact. Then he relaxed when the pain started to dissipate. Raven disposed of the cotton swab, and gave Lloyd his gloves back, that he quickly slipped on.

"Thanks Raven," Lloyd said, but before Raven could reply, Flare cut in with her arms folded and said,

"Hey! What the what! Not even a 'Thanks' or a nod for providing the serum! I didn't have to do that you know, or give you that piece of cotton!"

Lloyd looked at Flare in surprise, but then he softly smiled and said, "Thank you Flare."

Flare smirked a bit and said, "No problem kid. You needed it... especially for saving Raven."

Flare... smiled at Lloyd and he smiled back. ~Respect~

Then Sensei Wu said, "It's good to see that everyone is all together safe and sound. You have all fought bravely for one another, and have proved your loyalty as well. I am proud of my students and my fellow friends. I am also proud of our new friends for their trust and assistance. We are all deeply grateful and honored."

Then King Shou said, "Thank you for your kind words Wu. We are also deeply grateful and honored by your loyalty and trust to help protect our kingdoms and our dear Raven from the hands of evil. Whatever you need for your journey, we will be happy to accomodate you all."

Then Jay said, "Well, we could use boosters-"

"JAY!" Kai, Cole, Zane, and Nya said at the same time.

"What? Those things are cool..."

Kani stood next to Shou and smiled sweetly at him, as he did the same.

Then King Shou turned back to the others and said, "We will be honored to help you in continuing your voyage. Also, I wish to request if my daughters may accompany all of you on your journey. They have skills, knowledge, and powers that I think would better contribute towards your group."

Sensei Wuand the other ninja stood together, while Auria and Christa stood in front of their parents and bowed respectfully.

"It would be an honor for us to join you in your quest," Auria said.

Christa added, "And we can learn more about how to use that spinjitzu to better our skills and strengthen our group power."

Each of the ninja and their parents along with Sensei Wu, Raven, and Flare looked towards one another and each began to nod. Then Sensei Wu stepped forward and bowed while saying,

"We will gladly accept your offer."

Auria smiled and Christa jumped up in joy and hugged Sensei Wu, which he didn't expect but he didn't mind much. Christa looked over Sensei Wu's shoulder and smiled at Cole without anyone else noticing, as Cole saw this and was surprised.

After Christa released Sensei Wu, then Garmadon said, "Well, this has been a very... interesting morning. I haven't had a workout like that in a while. Though I'm glad I'm on the right side."

Everyone started to nod and laugh.

Then Queen Kani said, "Well, let's get you guys ready to go."

Everyone agreed and followed the King and Queen towards the castle.

After the Bounty was all ready, Auria and Christa said goodbye to their parents.

After the last goodbyes were given, the Bounty was off, past the fog, which wasn't much of a fog when descending, and down below the clouds. The Bounty continued on it's way to where Raven called home, Fountain Falls.

"Fountain Falls?" Nya asked, as everyone was in the main control room sitting down besides Flare, Christa, Nya, and Raven.

"Yes. That's the name of my home. Above ground it is called Lake Aki," Raven said.

"You live under a lake?" Jay asked, and Flare replied,

"She just said _Lake_ Aki. Why are you asking if she lives under a lake, it's obvious isn't it?"

Auria turned towards Flare with a stern and calm expression and said, "Flare, mind your manners."

Flare looked towards Auria with some irritation, but then she signed and said, "Yes, she lives under a lake."

Raven looked on the map displayed on the large screen, and pointed to a forest-like area and said, "It's around here. Once we get close enough, we'll have to go by foot to find the entrance."

Nya looked at the area that Raven pointed and nodded, saying, "Alrighty then. I can mark it on the map so that the Bounty could fly on auto-pilot."

As Nya went to work, Sensei Wu stood up and said, "Well, since we have a new destination to head to, it would be best if we prepared ourselves for the time being. Who knows if Silva is waiting for us like last time"

Then Cole replied, "I don't think Silva would bother us for a while. I mean, we beat down her goons pretty hard so she may not bother with us for the time being."

Sensei Wu thought about that, and he said, "Perhaps your right, but we shouldn't keep our guard down. Remember..." Sensei Wu started walking out of the room, "Silva may have more allies then we know of."

After Sensei Wu departed, Raven suddenly sprinted out of the room like lightening, which startled everyone in the room. They pursued after her.

"Raven, where are you going?" Christa asked, as they ran after Raven.

Upon the Bounty's deck, Sensei Wu was already there, and Raven talked to him, since he asked why she was running on deck suddenly.

After about twenty seconds, the others in the ship ran outside to see what was up with Raven.

"There she-" Flare said, as she stopped in mid-sentence seeing that Raven was standing on the railing of the Bounty, looking outward.

"Raven don't!" Lloyd yelled out, as Raven jumped off the edge of the Bounty.

Everyone gasped, except Auria, as they ran towards Sensei, who was next to Raven when she jumped.

"Sensei, why didn't you stop her?" Kai asked, and Sensei Wu replied,

"There's no need to worry."

Then Lloyd said, "No need to worry? She just jumped off the Bounty. We're like two-hundred feet in the air!"

"Actually it's two-hundred and fourty-seven feet," Nya corrected.

Lloyd turned towards Nya with half closed eyes and a frown, as Nya rubbed the back of her head and said,

"I... guess that doesn't make it better, huh?"

"Woooohoooooo!"

Everyone turned towards where Raven had jumped from, and they saw her ascending upward on a large, winged creature:

It was all purple, with light blue lines around the eyes and light blue claws. The spikes that stuck out from it's slender tail were light blue as well and they turned green as they merged with the creatures skin. The eyes of the creature were a brilliant green, and it had two horns on it's head that were a darker purple than it's body angled back. The teeth were sharp, pearly whites, and the spikes on it's back were from green to blue. The wings were lon,g and under them was a pale purple color, while the top was a dark purple color, and on the bone parts were the regular purple color.

The beast soared into the skies, as Raven said, "Fly like the wind, Pearl!"

As the beast flew, everyone watched in amazement the beauty and fierceness of it.

"Is that a dragon?" Garmadon asked, as the others continued watching Raven and the dragon cut threw the sky.

Auria replied, "Yes. That is Raven's dragon, Pearl. Raven found Pearl when we ventured towards her homeland one time. Pearl had an injured wing, and was hiding in a cave, when Raven saw her and felt sympathy. She tried to feed her so that she could patch up her wing. After about a week or so, Pearl warmed up to Raven, and let her take care of her injury. They've both been watching each others' backs ever since."

Auria smiled and waved towards Raven, who waved back.

"Oh, that was the time you brought Raven home, right sister?" Christa asked, and Auria nodded.

"I forgot about Pearl. She's awesome. She must have been worried about Raven since she disappeared," Flare said, as she crossed her arms.

"Huh, even Raven has a dragon," Kai said.

Jay turned towards Lloyd and nudged him while saying, "Yeah. You two have got a lot in common, huh?"

Lloyd blushed a bit and turned away from Jay to continue watching Raven and Pearl.

Then Pearl flew ahead of the Bounty and turned a slight right.

"Hey. Where are they going?" Nya asked, and Auria replied,

"Pearl must be leading Raven somewhere. Let's follow them."

As the Bounty followed Raven and Pearl, the dragon continued to fly towards a certain rock formation in the distance.

"What's the matter Pearl? You want us to stay _there_ for the night?" Raven asked.

Pearl turned towards Raven and nodded.

Then Raven said, "Well, okay. But we need to get home, Pearl."

The dragon looked at Raven with confident eyes. Raven recognized what Pearl was trying to say and asked,

"You know a safer route... but what about the regular route?"

Pearl roared a small roar, and Raven understood.

"Oh, I see. The regular route is more open air, which means that there isn't enough trees and stuff to conceal us as we fly. The enemy will be able to find us pretty easily. Wait... how did you know we have an enemy?"

Pearl roared again, and Raven replied, "So Queen Kani gave you a letter to give to my father about what's been happening... Thank you Pearl."

Pearl nodded, as she continued flying onward with the Bounty on her tail. (Not literally.)

**It was pretty fun writing this chapter... but it gets even better... stay tuned. :)**


	17. Chapter 17 Fond of you

After a while of flying, the sun was beginning to set.

"That was quick," Raven said, and Pearl agreed with a grunt.

"I guess Silva's attacks this morning took more time than we thought. Let's rest somewhere Pearl, until tomorrow."

Pearl turned to her right, towards the only rock structure in the forest, and landed right on top of it. There was a flat area outside that lead to a cave.

"Oh Pearl. This was where I first found you! You made it into a nice hovel huh?" Raven said.

Pearl roared happily, as Raven slide off her back down her wing. The Bounty landed pretty close to them, as Pearl entered the cave and laid down, face out. After the Bounty was anchored down, the ramp was put out. The passengers exited the Bounty, down the ramp to meet up with Raven.

"So, how was the ride?" Flare asked Raven, as she put her hands behind her back.

"Oh it was fun. I'm so glad to see Pearl again," Raven said, and she waved at Pearl, as the dragon lifted her head and nodded.

"Wow. She's pretty big isn't she?" Cole asked, as he approached Pearl, and she reacted by snapping at him.

"Whoa!" Cole yelled out, as he jumped back.

Then Raven said, "Oh, yeah, she doesn't know who you guys are, so she'll snap like that, warning you to stay away. Don't worry, once she gets use to you guys she won't snap anymore."

Raven walked up to Pearl and patted her nose, while Lloyd slowly approached Raven, so as not to provoke Pearl to snap at him.

"She's a beautiful dragon," Lloyd said, which made Raven turn towards him and smile.

"Yes. She is beautiful isn't she," Raven replied, as she stroked the side of Pearl's face.

Then Lloyd said, "I haven't seen my dragon in a while too. I wonder where he could be..."

Raven looked at Lloyd, and then she dug into her pocket and pulled out a whistle.

"Here. Any dragon in about a twenty-five mile radius should be able to hear the whistle and head over to where it's coming from. You can borrow it if you want, maybe your dragon is somewhere around here," Raven said.

Lloyd took the whistle and thanked Raven for letting him use it. He walked away from the others, and he blew the whistle. It was pretty loud, as the sound echoed off as far as it could have gone. However, after a little while of looking, Lloyd blew the whistle once more, and he still saw nothing in the sky.

Disappointed, Lloyd walked back to the others and said, "I guess he's too far to hear it."

Then Misako walked up to Lloyd and said, "Oh, don't worry Lloyd. I'm sure Ultra dragon will eventually turn up."

Lloyd looked up at his mother, but then he froze when he saw two red eyes ahead of him, right where the rock cliff leads to the forest. Misako noticed that Lloyd was staring at something, and when she turned around and saw the red eyes, she gasped at their brilliant glow. The others also looked and saw the red eyes, until the person with those eyes started to run off.

"We need to stop him immediately!" Garmadon said.

"Come on! Let's get him! He might tell Silva where we are!" Kai yelled out, and then Sensei Wu said,

"Let's hurry before it's too late."

Everyone ran off to find the wielder of the red eyes except Raven, Dr. Julien, and Nya, who were told to stay behind near the Bounty. Dr. Julien and Nya ran into the Bounty to pick up something while Raven stood next to Pearl, as the dragon moved her wing over Raven, protectively.

After a few moments, a figure went running off the Bounty and into the forest. Raven blinked a few times to take in what she saw, as Dr. Julien stepped out of the Bounty and headed towards Raven. He stood a few feet away so as not to provoke Pearl and he said,

"It's really something isn't it? The people in Aeroplane really have some advanced technology. They had just what I needed and more to finish up Nya's new samurai suit."

Raven tilted her head in confusion and said, "Huh?"

Running through the forest, the ninja pursued a dark figure.

"It's _him_ again," Flare said, then Auria asked,

"The guy with the hood?"

Flare nodded, and Lloyd thought for a moment before saying,

"Ryan."

"Who's that?" Cole asked.

Lloyd answered, "The 'Guy in the Hood.' His name is Ryan, I heard Silva yell out his name before when I was fighting them."

"Well, at least we know his name now," Jay said.

"Yes, but there is no one in my data base that relates to his description and name," Zane said, as Christa and Auria had confused expressions on their faces. Under the circumstances, the others were more concerned about Ryan so no one explained to the girls about what Zane meant by 'database.'

Ryan was ahead of the group thinking, _'Man, their slower than I thought, unless their trying to stay together... Well, I can't let them stay together for long. I'__ll__ have to split them up and let them get lost for awhile. Then I can drop off my message to Raven...'_

Ryan concentrated his power into his hands, that became a dark-red and black energy ball that he released and created three clones of himself.

"Distract them while I find her," Ryan commanded the clones.

Then he disappeared in a flash of dark light, as the three clones moved in different directions.

"There he goes!" -Jay

"No, there he goes!" -Cole

"Wait, he's over here!" -Kai

Jay, Zane, Auria, and Christa ran left, Cole, Flare, Misako, and Garmadon ran right, and Kai, Lloyd, and Sensei Wu ran straight ahead.

"Oh no. There were other guys too," Kai said, as they continued pursuing their target.

"This doesn't feel right. We need to catch him now," Lloyd said, as they ran closer to their target.

Then a flash of red appeared, and the clone was smacked right on the floor.

Above him stood a person in dark-red shining clothes that crossed over and was being held by black clips. The person had gold-armor padding on the shoulders that curved up and down at the tips. They wore golden armored shoes and they had a black belt across their waist that held two weapon slots on each side. The gold had black outlines on them. and the person also wore helmet. The helmet had gold around the eyes that fanned out, and it was all red like the armor, but it opened up like Sensei Wu's hat but smaller. On top was a single, black spike that stood up, and the helmet also covered the back of the person's head with a red fabric that would blow in the wind. They also wore a jet pack on their back, that had weapon slots as well.

Sensei Wu, Kai, and Lloyd looked at this person in awe, as the person said,

"Hey guys. Sorry if I'm late."

Kai instantly recognized the voice and said, "Wait... Nya? Is that you?"

Nya removed the helmet to reveal her face and made the others gasp in astonishment.

"Oh my gosh, Nya. Where did you get that awesome outfit?" Kai asked, and Nya answered,

"Oh, well, Dr. Julien was trying to help me repair my old suit, but then he decided to make me a new one from scratch. When we made it to Aeroplane, he was able to find the remaining parts he needed to complete my suit, and even more."

Then Sensei said, "Well Nya, this is indeed a surprise. I wonder how much stronger you have become?"

Nya nodded with a smile.

Lloyd approached the clone of Ryan, and he gasped when the clone disappeared right when he touched him.

"What the? What just happened?" Lloyd asked, and Sensei Wu replied,

"It was just a shadow of the real Ryan."

"Then where's the _real_ Ryan?" Kai asked, as the four looked around the forest that surrounded them.

"Wait! It was a fake?!" Jay asked, when they caught Ryan's clone.

"That's what it looks like," Christa said.

"Ryan must have used clones to split us up," Auria speculated.

"But why would he do this if not to fight us?" Zane asked.

"Unless, he's just stalling," Christa said.

"OHMYGOSH and we left Raven almost alone!" Jay yelled out, as the four ninja started running back to the Bounty.

"I told you he wasn't right!" Flare yelled out as Cole, Misako, Garmadon, and herself were running back to the Bounty.

"I didn't realize that boy knew such a technique. He seems to hide more than just his face," Garmadon said.

"We have to get back to the Bounty as quickly as possible," Misako said.

"I hope we make it on time," Cole said.

Back to the Bounty:

Raven, Pearl, and Dr. Julien were waiting for the others to return. Raven was showing Dr. Julien how to gain Pearl's trust by feeding her, rubbing her nose and chin at the same time, and by slowly walking towards her without looking into her eyes. Dr. Julien did very well, even though Pearl was a little leery the moment Dr. Julien tried to approach her.

After a few more attempts, Dr. Julien was able to gain Pearl's trust and she let him rub her face and feed her.

"She's truly a remarkable gal once you get to know her," Dr. Julien said, and Raven replied,

"Yeah. She's quite nice and caring once you get to know and understand her more."

Then a voice was heard that made Raven and Dr. Julien look at each other with wide eyes,

"Sounds kind of like my mother."

Raven and Dr. Julien quickly turned to see Ryan about twenty feet from their location. Pearl started to growl, as Dr. Julien stood a few feet in front of Raven and said,

"I'm sorry Ryan, but if you've come for Raven, you shan't have her!"

Raven thought, _'Ryan... yes, Silva yelled out his name before...'_

Raven continued to look at Ryan, as he lifted his head higher to reveal his red, glowing eyes. Raven and Dr. Julien gasped at the sight of his glowing eyes.

"Relax. I didn't come to fight. I only came to give Raven a message," Ryan said as he paused for a moment, and then vanished in a dark flash.

Dr. Julien and Raven were confused when suddenly BAM! Dr. Julien was knocked out cold. Ryan had appeared behind Dr. Julien and he punched back and knocked him out. Raven was about to run towards Dr. Julien, when Pearl grabbed her with her wing and pulled Raven back. Pearl was snarling at Ryan, which made him stand perfectly still. Then Ryan pulled out a small scroll and placed it on the floor. Pearl was still glaring, but that didn't faze him.

Ryan stood back and said, "Raven, only _you_ can read the scroll. Don't show anyone else. After you've read it, burn the scroll to ashes."

Ryan turned and started walking away, when he stopped and said, "Oh. One more thing, if you wish to learn more about Silva's plan, you best do as I instructed. Of course, that's_ if_ you want to know more."

Then, in a flash, Ryan disappeared, Raven stood looking out, trying to take in what Ryan just said. Then she went over to the small scroll that Ryan left on the floor, and held it up. Pearl whined a little, but Raven said,

"I have to see him, Pearl. Whether it's a trap or not, I have to know."

Raven opened the small scroll and read it's instructions. Then she set it in her pocket and went to work. First she had to tend to Dr. Julien's bump on his head from Ryan's 'attack', and then she had to get rid of the scroll.

_'It should be no problem, but I wish he didn't have to hurt Dr. Julien. I'm so sorry Zane's dad...'_ Raven thought, as she quickly headed to the Bounty while Pearl covered Dr. Julien with her left wing.

After catching each clone and hastily sprinting back to the Bounty, the Ninja crew met up with each other at the same time and saw that Dr. Julien stood alone petting Pearl's nose.

"Oh hey! You came back," Dr. Julien said, and Zane asked,

"Father, are you alright? Did you see Ryan come by?"

"And where's Raven?" Lloyd added, concerned.

Dr. Julien turned towards everyone with a serious expression which made the other ninja nervous and stiffen up. Then he smiled and said,

"Well I didn't see Ryan, but Raven is perfectly fine. She went into the Bounty... and there she is now."

The Ninja crew turned around and saw Raven walking towards them from the Bounty. They signed in relief, as the girls walked up to Raven first. "

"Thank goodness your alright." -Christa

"We were worried about you." -Auria

"We're sorry Raven. One of us should have stood behind, in case Ryan tried to come here." -Flare

Raven thought, _'Phew, good. __N__one of them know __about Ryan coming here. I'm glad they didn't ask.'_

"Well, there was nothing to worry about. I mean, I had Pearl and Dr. Julien to protect me. And my awesome ninja skills," Raven said.

Flare ruffled Raven's hair and said, "Yeah. I guess there's no reason to worry about you, but that's our job, you know."

Raven fixed her hair, and then she smiled at her friends, as they smiled back. Then Nya walked over to Raven, which made her eyes widen at Nya's new appearance.

"Wow Nya! Your new suit is way cool," Raven said.

Nya smiled and said, "Aww, thanks Raven. Dr. Julien helped with the mechanics, and I helped more with the appearance."

The others walked over to the girls as well.

"Yeah, your new samurai suit is way cooler than your old one Nya-Uh! Not that the other one wasn't cool, but uh... you know what I mean right?" Jay said to Nya, as he rubbed the back of his head.

Nya smiled sweetly and said, "Thank you Jay."

Jay blushed, and then Kai interrupted with a cough and said, "Alright, so since Ryan's gone and everyone's alright, shouldn't we get some shut eye for tomorrow?"

"Yes your right. It's best that we wake up early tomorrow and quickly head over to Raven's homeland, before we meet any other unexpected guest," Sensei Wu said.

"We should move to a new location, since Ryan knows where we are already," Garmadon said.

"He's right. There's a taller mountain range not too far from here ahead of us," Misako said.

"Then let's head there now," Auria said, and everyone agreed.

After the ten minute ride, the Bounty landed on a higher mountain range that had many trees and plants growing on it, which made a good covering if any enemies were going by. A perfect hiding spot.

After landing, everyone decided to camp outside the Bounty next to Pearl since she would have an easier time watching over them and getting use to their presence.

During this time, Raven and Lloyd climbed a little higher to the peak of the mountain, which had an opening so that you could look out around the land and sky.

After a while, the camp was set and ready.

"Dear, can you tell Lloyd and Raven to come down so that we can all sleep?" Misako asked, as Garmadon had just finished placing his sleeping bag on the floor.

"Sure thing love," Garmadon said.

Garmadon headed up towards the mountain peak where Raven and Lloyd were. However, Garmadon heard Raven and Lloyd talking, so he stood hidden to hear what they were talking about.

"Your friends are really nice Raven. Even Flare is pretty neat too." -L

"Mmhm. She's pretty tough and stubborn, but she's really caring and compassionate. She just has her own way of showing it." -R

"You mean like, how she would prank Kai?" -L

"Yeah like that. Of course, she _did _mess with him at first because she thought it was funny, but I think she really likes to get under Kai's skin." -R

"Hey, now that you mention it, she does usually smirk when she insults or bothers Kai. With the rest of us she just says it like it is, but towards Kai she usually smiles." -L

"Hm, maybe she likes him." -R

"And maybe he likes her too." -L

"How do you figure?" -R

"He pranked her back, and he doesn't mind that she's part of the team now, even after all of that." -L

"Wait. Let's not make any assumptions. Though it maybe true..." -R

"We'll just have to see for ourselves, but they're both pretty stubborn though." -L

"Yup, that's something they have in common." -R

Raven and Lloyd laughed. Then they both looked up at the full moon, since the sun had set. The moon was bright and gleaming with the little glittering stars scattered across the sky. Lloyd looked down in serious thought, as he looked towards Raven while she was focused on the illuminating beauty of the moon. Lloyd looked back up at the moon and then he said,

"Raven."

"Yes Lloyd?" Raven looked towards Lloyd, while he continued to look up at the moon.

"I want to protect you no matter what," He said, as Raven lightly gasped.

Raven saw the determination on Lloyd's face, as a breeze blew some of his hair away from his face. Then Raven looked up at the moon and said,

"I want to protect you too Lloyd, always."

Lloyd and Raven looked at each other at the same time, as Raven placed her hand on Lloyd's, and he gripped her hand with his. They exchanged a smile, and then Lloyd said,

"Raven. I will never turn my back on you. I will always help you no matter what. I promise."

Raven's smile widened, as she said, "And I'll never turn my back on you either Lloyd. I promise, too."

As the two continued to look into each other's eyes, Garmadon smiled.

_'They __share __such __a special__ bond... unbreakable,'_ He thought.

Then Garmadon came out of hiding and called out to Raven and Lloyd, who immediately turned behind them and let go of each others hands while slightly blushing. Garmadon smiled at both of them and said,

"Come on you two, it's time to hit the hay."

Lloyd and Raven jumped down from where they were sitting, and followed Garmadon back to camp.

"Aw man, -yawn- I actually feel tired for once," Flare said, as she slipped in her sleeping bag.

"Well from all this excitement the last few days, I'm not surprised your a bit worn out," Christa said, already in her sleeping bag.

"Ha! Me worn out-" Flare was cut off by another yawn.

"Well that answers _that_ question huh Flare?" Kai said with a smirk, as Flare threw her pillow at him.

However, Auria caught the pillow in mid air before it hit Kai and she threw it back at Flare.

"Mind your pillow Flare," Auria said with a smile, as Flare looked at her un-amused, which changed to a smile as she set her pillow down and laid on it.

Lloyd, Raven, and Garmadon returned, as they went over to their sleeping bags.

Cole looked at Lloyd with a smirk and said, "So Lloyd, you had a nice time with Raven?"

Lloyd blushed and said, "U-Uh, y-yeah. What of it?"

Then Zane said, "It seems like he has, and there is a high probability that they exchanged a kiss during that time-"

"We did not!" Lloyd blurted out loud, which made the others around camp turn towards him in question.

"Busted," Cole whispered only to Lloyd.

Lloyd looked at everyone and said, "Uh, um, sorry guys. Heh heh."

Lloyd gave Cole and Zane an annoyed look, while they just smirked at him.

Half-way through the night, one kunoichi had risen from her sleeping bag secretly, and was making her way pass the other sleeping people without stirring them. Pearl raised her head and looked at the kunoichi as she passed her by. The kunoichi turned towards Pearl and gently rubbed her nose, and whispered,

"Shush. I have to take care of something Pearl. Please watch the others for me, protect them."

Pearl signed and she licked Raven's face. Raven smiled at Pearl, and then she headed down, off the small mountain into the forest.

_'Where is she going?'_ Another kunoichi thought as she rose up from her sleeping bag, and started making her way towards Raven's direction.

"Where are you going?" The other kunoichi, who was Auria, turned around and saw that Zane had risen from his sleeping bag and whispered to her.

Auria gestured for Zane to follow, and he did until they walked down the mountain.

Then Auria turned to Zane and whispered, "I saw Raven get up and walk this way."

"Are you sure it was her?" Zane whispered back.

"Yes. I saw her whispering to Pearl before she left. I want to follow her and see what she is up to at this time of night," Auria replied.

"Then I'll go with you," Zane said.

"Are you sure Zane?" Auria asked.

"Yes. Raven is my friend too, and I am obliged as Raven's friend to look out for her," Zane replied.

Auria smiled and nodded towards Zane.

"Ok, let's go. Stealth mode," Auria said.

Auria and Zane flipped on their ninja hoods and headed off to follow Raven.

Raven was walking through the dark forest until she came across a creek. She looked to the left and then to the right, while two red eyes appeared behind her, without her realizing it.

"Hello Raven," a modulated voice said.

Raven whipped around and saw two red eyes in the shadow of the trees.

"Uh, hey, Ryan," Raven said, cautiously.

Ryan stepped out of the shadows, and stood closer to the creek, which made Ryan's face more visible, since the water reflected the moonlight.

"It's nice to see you again, under better circumstances of course," Ryan said in his usually monotone voice.

Raven looked at Ryan a little suspiciously, until Ryan lifted both of his hands and said,

"Don't worry. I'm not going to kidnap you. I just want to talk. I did write that in the scroll I gave you."

Raven relaxed a little. Then Ryan walked over to a rock that was big enough for three people to sit on. He sat down on the rock, and rested his chin on his right knee. He lifted his head and gestured with his right hand for Raven to sit next to him. Raven nodded, and she walked over and sat next to Ryan, but she kept at least a foot distance.

"I won't bite, you know," Ryan said, noticing that Raven moved herself the foot away from him.

"Well, I have to keep my guard up, you know," Raven replied.

Ryan shrugged and said, "Pretty legit."

Raven and Ryan took a moment to look at the creek before them. Some fish swam by, and a few small pebbles rolled along in the water.

"Um, Ryan?" -Raven

"Hm?" -Ryan

"What did you want to talk about?" -Raven

Ryan turned towards Raven, as she looked towards him, waiting for an answer.

During this time, Zane and Auria were both on a tall tree, looking over towards where Raven was. Auria turned a nob near the side of her left ear, and a light blue lens came forth over her eyes, which made Zane look at her in surprise.

"These are my binoculars. They're really efficient," Auria said.

Auria zoomed in at Raven and noticed that Ryan was there as well, both sitting on a rock. Auria gasped, and Zane asked,

"What is it?"

"Ryan," Auria replied.

Zane gasped and said, "What is going on? Why is Raven with Ryan? Did he kidnap her?"

"No. Raven walked out... I think their just... talking."

"Talking?"

"Yes."

Auria pulled out a small black square box from her pocket, which opened up to show a small satellite dish inside. She turned a few knobs on the outside of it, and then the sound of Raven and Ryan 's voices became clear through the speaker. It was on low so that Raven and Ryan couldn't hear it, but Zane and Auria could, as they both listened in on the conversation.

Back to Raven and Ryan.

Ryan signed, and then he looked back at the creek and said, "I know about what happened to your mother."

Raven straightened up and looked at Ryan in all seriousness.

"What isss it that you know?" Raven said, revealing her serpent accent, since her emotions were slowly riling up.

Ryan continued, "She has been sealed in the crystal prison. There's been a growing number of villagers and country folks who know of what happened. They started becoming untrusting of one another, in fear of what happened to your mother. They thought something similar might happen to them if the Viporeon Queen was, eh hem, 'defeated'..."

Raven continued to look at Ryan with a serious expression, as he continued,

"Only the three kingdoms; Volcanic Kingdom, Aeroplane, and your own, are still allies. However, the other villages and countries outside those three kingdoms are going, well, 'wild' if that's the proper word. They began fighting one another and started separating... dividing the lands in their way of 'protecting' themselves. But it wouldn't do any good if someone of great power attacks each of them, and takes over one by one."

"Is that what Silva is trying to do?" Raven asked.

Ryan replied, "Yes. She has already begun taking over some of the villages and growing her army. Then, when her army is strong enough, she will go on to lands like Ninjago city, Volcanic Kingdom, Aeroplane, and even-"

"My homeland," Raven finished Ryan's sentence, as he signed and nodded.

"Yeah, _all_ the lands."

Ryan stood quiet so that Raven could take it all in.

Then Raven turned to Ryan and asked, "D-Did Silva use the crystal technique on my mom?"

Ryan quickly turned to Raven and replied, "No, she didn't. That technique is forbidden. The only way someone could even use that technique is if they found each of the ancient archives and stole each piece of the Crystal scroll from them."

"Yes, that's right. One of the ancient archives is located in my homeland. So if they wanted to steal the piece, they would have had to know my parents to even get in..." Raven said.

Ryan nodded and said, "It was an inside job my- I mean, Silva couldn't have went through the ancient archives since..."

"I've never met her... She never came to my homeland." -Raven.

"Exactly, and even Silva knows that the crystal technique is too dangerous and risky to use." -Ryan

"So whoever used it..." -Raven

"Is very dangerous indeed, and probably close to your mother." -Ryan

Raven thought about this as she tried to think of who her mother was close to, but she couldn't put a link on anyone.

"Don't think too hard. That person will turn up eventually, but right now you have to focus on... Silva's plans," Ryan said with a moment's pause.

Raven looked at Ryan curiously and said, "Why are you trying to help me Ryan? Why are you telling me all of this?"

Ryan stood quiet for a while, thinking of what he has to say. Then he stood up and walked closer to the creek, and said,

"I felt you should have known about you mother... and it's not like you could stop Silva's plans anyway."

Raven stood up and walked next to Ryan, while looking at him with a suspicious expression. She felt he wasn't telling her something. Ryan looked a little nervous towards Raven, which wasn't much of a nervous expression, more like a raised eyebrow.

Then Ryan signed, "Alright, I'll tell you."

Raven smirked in victory, until Ryan walked right up to her, face-to-face, with a stern expression. Raven tried to back up, but Ryan moved his hand under her chin, and raised her head up slightly, so that she was looking right into his eyes. The light of the creek reflected perfectly to reveal Ryan's whole face to Raven, which showed his bright red eyes and his calm, somber expression. Raven was surprised by his action, and a little surprised by finally seeing his face clearer.

Then Ryan said, "-sign- Raven... I am very fond of you."

Raven gasped, while on the top of the tree, Zane and Auria looked at each other in shock.

Ryan continued, "The more I see you Raven, the more my feelings for you have grown... I... I don't want you to get hurt from all of this, and..."

Ryan signed, and continued, "I want you to come with me. Away from the upcoming madness and insolence... I want to be with you, and you with me."

Raven looked at Ryan in shock, but then she slowly took Ryan's hand off of her chin, and held it, as she stepped back a little and said,

"Ryan. If anything, I like you as a friend. I do appreciate your trying to help me, but... I can't. I can't run away from this. It's my duty as a princess and a kunoichi to help those in peril and need. I'm sorry."

Ryan looked down and said, "Yeah, I knew you were going to say that. Your a fighter."

Ryan looked into Raven's eyes, as she looked at him. Ryan slowly moved closer to Raven, almost as if to kiss her, but she pushed her hand in between them and said,

"Ryan no! I already told you, your my friend. Besides, I already... have someone."

"Lloyd right?" Ryan said, which made Raven look at him in surprise.

Ryan smirked and asked, "I guessed right, huh?"

Raven nodded and said, "Yes. I'm sorry Ryan."

Ryan put his hand on Raven's hand and patted it while he said, "It's okay Raven... really it is."

Ryan let go of Raven's hand, and he started walking away.

Then he stopped and turned to Raven slightly, and said, "I guess I'll just have to try harder to get you than... and maybe even fight _him_."

"Hey wait a minute-" Before Raven finished, Ryan disappeared in a dark flash.

Raven looked around to see if Ryan was still there, but he was gone. Raven signed, and then she headed back to the camp.

_'I __really __hope Ryan doesn't fight Lloyd. __I wouldn't want __them__ to get hurt... __e__specially Lloyd,__'_ Raven thought.

"Oh no! We have to head back to camp before she does or she'll know we've been spying." Zane whispered, as Auria put her black box away.

They ran as fast as they could up the mountain and right into their sleeping bags.

Raven returned to the camp after about three minutes. She sneaked over to her sleeping bag, and snuggled under the covers as she fell asleep.


	18. Chapter 18 Returning Home

Far within a certain desert, a lone snake was travelling across it. He was heading towards Ouroboros, and he was pretty tired from his journey.

_'Hm, if I'm not misssstaken, the other sssserpentine are trapped ssssomewhere elsse... Which isss the perfect opportunity to revisssit Ouroborosss and sssstay for a while. Until I can think of a better plan to rule the world__without getting eaten like last time!'_ The lone Serpentine thought, as he continued on his way.

He finally entered the city of Ouroboros. It was late at night, and the 'streets' were deathly quiet.

As the snake reached the center ring of the city, he heard shuffling behind him. He ignored it once, but when he heard it again, he pulled out a blade, which he stole, and he held it out.

"Come out, whoever you are!" The lone Serpentine yelled out.

There was silence, then a flash of lights. The lone Serpentine blocked his eyes from the lights, and then he refocused his vision and noticed that he was surrounded.

"Oh dear..." The snake said.

Then he heard a voice among the crowd say, "Welly well, look here, a serpentine. He's pretty big huh?"

The snake turned around to see a woman with short white hair looking at him. She stood a little forward from the crowd, and spoke to a man with blonde hair in a pony tail,

"What do you think, Bronze?"

Bronze looked at the lone Serpentine with a smirk and said, "Oh please Luna. He may be big, but he's not a threat."

The snake became aggrivated, but then he realized that what the man said was true. He was surrounded, but that doesn't mean he didn't have a few tricks up his sleeves. He held his weapon out, but then the blade was smacked out of his hand by a rock. He watched as his weapon slide under one of the vampire's feet, and then he looked at who threw the rock, and saw a woman with black hair and a stern, yet annoyed expression on her face.

"Why Marcell, you have come-" Luna said, but then she stopped talking when she saw that Marcell wasn't in the mood, especially since she was still angry about learning that Silva was holding her sister hostage.

"Who is this vacuous snake and why isn't he eating dirt and begging for mercy?" Marcell said, as she walked closer to the Serpentine as he back away slowly, intimidated by her fierce presence and words.

"He just came here your highness," said Bronze, as Marcell looked at the snake more carefully.

The Serpentine thought, _'Your highnessss? She musst be there leader... and a royal one at that.'_

"So, your a normal serpentine, huh? Well, it doesn't matter, you are of no use to us," Marcell said in a gruff manner.

Then she turned around and put one hand on her hip, as she started walking away and said, "Dispose of him."

The vampires around the snake revealed their razor sharp teeth and red-ringed eyes, which scared the life out of the lone snake. The lone Serpentine had to think fast, and then he called out to Marcell,

"Wait! I can be more of an asssset then you think! Just give me a chanccce to prove mysself, your majessty!"

Marcell stopped walking and turned around.

"Hold on," Marcell commanded, as she approached the snake.

"Well then snake. What can you do to benefit me and my fellow vampires?" The Queen Vampire asked.

_''Vampiresssss eh?_ _How intriging...'_ The snake thought.

Then he said, "Well, how about thissss."

The Serpentine disappeared in thin air. The vampires were impressed by this, and they started looking around to see where the Serpentine had gone. Marcell stood in one place, and then she felt a cold blade near her neck and she couldn't move her legs. Marcell looked straight ahead of her and saw the lone Serpentine reappear before her eyes. He held his blade close to Marcell's neck, and he coiled her legs with his tail. He smile deviously at Marcell, as she just looked at him plainly and said,

"Hmph. Impressive power of turning invisible."

The Serpentine chuckled and said, "Yesss quite my dear, and I can do more than that you know, essspecially if you let me go. I wouldn't want to harm such a lovely lady-"

The Serpentine cut off when Marcell grabbed the tip of his blade, and moved it closer to where her heart was.

Then she said, in a more lively tone, "Go ahead you fool. Strike me down! Pierce through my heart! Take me down! You have your chance. Go ahead... I _**dare**_ you to **take it**!"

Red rings came around Marcell's eyes, and her fangs showed forth through her sinister grin. This made the Snake tremble and gulp in fear from her dark gaze. He lowered his blade and uncoiled the Queen Vampire.

Then he bowed to her and said, "I am your humble sssservant your highnesssss."

Marcell smirked, as her face turned back to normal and she said, "Very good, your smart. By the way, I'm Marcell, the Queen of the Vampire Kingdom. What's your name servant?"

The Snake looked up at Marcell, as he grinned and thought, _'She isss highly hossstile,__yet sssociable... I wouldn't mind ssserving her for the time being. I may learn ssssomething ussseful...'_

Then the Serpentine answered Marcell, "I am Pythor P. Chumsworth... just Pythor iss fine."

Marcell had a mischievous smirk and thought, _'Heh heh heh._ _Wouldn't the Viporeons be surprised...'_

The next morning around the camp, the ninja and kunoichi woke up early, even though they weren't so enthusiastic about it since Sensei used a horn to awake them.

"Ugh! Sensei, why would you use a horn?" Jay asked in a groggy tone, as he loosened up from his fighting pose since he thought they were being attacked.

The others also jumped up and were ready to fight, even though Christa, Kai, and Raven were looking in the opposite direction of the horn.

Sensei Wu said, with amusement, "I wanted to find a new method of waking up my students more efficiently, and I see it worked pretty well. What do you think Flare?"

The ninja and kunoichi looked towards Sensei Wu's right, and they saw Flare standing there with her arms crossed and a smirk across her face.

"Oh I think it worked perfectly Sensei Wu," Flare said, as the ninja signed, and Kai looked at Flare with an annoyed expression that made her slightly giggle.

"Alright... It is time for us to get ready for departure. Let's hurry onto the Bounty and continue towards our destination," Sensei Wu said, and then he turned and walked towards the Bounty with his walking stick, while the others packed their stuff and rolled up their sleeping bags.

Garmadon, Misako, and Dr. Julien were already on board the Bounty and ready to go, as the ninja and kunoichi finished packing their things from camping out.

"Marshmallows? Really Jay?" Cole asked, and Jay replied,

"Well it was a camp out, why not."

Cole thought about it, and then he extended a hand out towards Jay and said "Pass some over."

Jay smiled, as he took out two marshmallows and handed it over to Cole, who ate them both at the same time. While Jay passed Cole the marshmallows, Christa sneaked a hand over and pulled out a couple of marshmallows from the bag. Jay looked back in the bag, and rubbed his head when he saw only a few marshmallows remained. Christa was eating the marshmallows, while Auria stood next to her and took a marshmallow from her sister.

"You shouldn't be eating marshmallows so early in the morning Christa," Auria said.

"Heheh. Well Auria, you seem unable to resist too," Christa said in a silvery tone.

"... They taste good," Auria said as she ate the one she took from Christa.

"I know right?" Christa said as she finished eating the few she took.

Then Christa and Auria bumped fist and headed on the Bounty with the others.

As Auria and Christa walked across the deck, Auria looked towards Zane, who looked at her back. They exchanged a smile, as Auria and Christa continued heading inside the Bounty.

_'I wonder about him...'_ Auria thought.

Raven jumped on Pearl's back, since she was going to lead the Bounty to her homeland. She looked over Pearl's shoulder, and saw Lloyd coming close to them. Pearl glanced at Lloyd, but then she looked away in a 'I'll-trust-you-for-now' matter.

Lloyd looked up at Raven and said, "Would you mind if I came with you? On Pearl I mean, just to ride?"

Raven looked towards Pearl, who looked at her and shrugged her wings while lightly nodding.

Then Raven turned back to Lloyd, with a smile and said, "Sure thing Lloyd. Pearl doesn't mind so hop on."

Lloyd nodded, and then he jumped up on Pearl's back beside Raven. There was enough room for both of them to sit next to each other. Raven held onto Pearl's harness, which was black with a light blue strip on it and a golden mouth piece, as she pulled upward and said,

"Let's go on up Pearl."

With that, Pearl spreaded her wings and hopped up into the sky within a heart beat. Lloyd was surprised by how quickly Pearl was able to ascend towards the clouds, which left him in awe... until he heard a voice call out,

"Whoa! She's fast!"

Raven and Lloyd quickly turned around to see Kai and Flare sitting next to each other behind them.

"I told you she's an awesome dragon," Flare said, and Kai replied,

"No kidding. But I gotta say, I still like Ultra Dragon though."

Pearl looked towards Kai and smacked him over the head with her tail.

Kai rubbed his head and said, "OW! It's not that _your_ not awesome Pearl. It's just that, I've known Ultra Dragon for a longer time. One of his heads use to be my own dragon. It's nothing personal."

Pearl 'humph'ed and looked straight ahead, as she continued flying with the Bounty following behind her.

"You should heed your words carefully Kai. Especially when your flying a few hundred feet in the air," Flare said, as Kai looked over Pearl's side and saw the distance from the floor up to him. He gulped as he looked back at Flare and said,

"Y-Yeah. I guess I should be more considerate, especially in this case, huh?"

Flare chuckled, as Kai rubbed the back of his head.

Then Raven asked, "How did you two get on Pearl without us noticing?"

Flare and Kai looked at Raven and Lloyd 's confused expressions.

Then Flare replied, "We already asked Pearl to take us for a ride before you came, sooo here we are."

"Yeah. Pearl was pretty cool with it though. But I'm surprised that_your_ here Lloyd. Although, I guess I shouldn't be eh?" Kai said with a smirk.

Lloyd was surprised by this, as Flare added, "Oh, but don't worry about us you two. We wouldn't want to interrupt the two baby love birds of our group, huh?"

Raven and Lloyd blushed, as they looked towards one another. They quickly turned away, embarassed, as Kai and Flare looked at them with triumphed smirks. Then they looked at each other while exchanging a high-five.

After a while of flying, Pearl started to fly in an odd way that was noticable to Kai, Flare, and Lloyd.

"Hey," Lloyd said to Raven, as she looked towards him.

"Why is Pearl flying, well, weird?" Lloyd asked.

"Yeah. It's like she's swimming instead of flying," Kai added.

Raven smiled at them and replied, "It's because... we're home."


	19. Chapter 19 Fountain Falls

Pearl started flying down towards the ground, and landed in a forest area. The trees were pretty tall so Pearl was hidden pretty well under them. Pearl moved forward, so that the Bounty could find a place to land. Then the dragon walked towards a certain place that had a meduim-sized lake with a statute in the middle of it of a bird flying upward. There was also a mountain beyond the lake covered in a thick gathering of trees as you climbed up. The Ninja Crew in the Bounty came outside after landing and met up with Pearl and the other ninja that jumped off her back.

"So Raven, uh, is_this_ your home?" Jay asked, which made Flare walk up to Jay and flicked him on the forehead with her hand.

"This isn't her home home fool, it's underground," Flare said.

"Oh yeah. Raven, your dad is Serpentine so he probably would feel more comfortable underground," Nya said.

Raven smiled and nodded, "Oh yes. My dad prefers to live underground... it's a snake thing."

Then she turned and walked towards the edge of the lake. With her water staff in hand, she surfed across the water to the bird statue, which was about her height. Raven stood in front of the statue, standing on the water as she touched the bird's beak, which made it glow golden. Then the water began to ripple, and the lake began to part open to reveal a stairway that led downward.

"Whoa." -Kai

"That's cool." -Jay

"Wow." -Cole

"Interesting." -Zane

Then Flare walked towards the stairs and turned towards the others.

"Well if your done gawking, let's get moving," Flare said.

"Hold on Flare," Auria said and continued, "The Bounty must be hidden so that our enemies will not try to infiltrate the Bounty or this place in pursuit of us."

Then Christa suggested, "Perhaps Pearl can lead the Bounty up the mountain. It's safer up there and more concealed."

Auria nodded and said, "Yes, and there is another way to enter underground from there as well."

"Then we will follow through with that plan. Jay, Nya, board the Bounty and follow Pearl up the mountain. The rest of us will enter through this underground passage," Sensei Wu said.

Jay stretched out his arms and said, "No problem Sensei. We're on it. Right Nya?"

Nay turned to Jay and nodded, "Yeah, let's go."

Jay thought, _'Yes! Some alone time with Nya~ Thank yoouu Auria, Christa, and Sensei.'_

Nya thought, _'I'll finally have some alone time with Jay... That'll be nice. Especially since he's not a vampire...-sign-'_

As Nya and Jay flew in the Bounty towards the mountain top following after Pearl, the others began to follow Raven underground.

There was a long, dark hallway with dim, round lights on the sides of the walls. The lake area that opened closed up after everyone was descending down the stairs. Raven led the way, followed by Flare, Lloyd, Kai, Auria, Christa, Cole, Sensei Wu, Garmadon, Misako, Dr. Julien, and Zane.

After crossing the dark hallway, Raven opened up a door to another area that was fairly large and rectangular. It had one road with steel gates at the sides that led across to another doorway that had blue-flame lights at the sides of it. Also, there was no floor besides the road, which made it a dark drop, and the cavern walls had gems in them that gleamed with an assortment of colors like blue, purple, green, red, yellow, and orange. One of the gems radiated a light that reflected off it to the other gems to make them glow.

"It's beautiful. The gems are in perfect correlation, they reflect so nicely," Misako said in admiration, as she looked around the room at the glowing stone crystals.

"Oh yes, this room was acually made by Raven's father. He dug threw here and planted the crystals in the walls so that they would shine. It was a way to welcome visitors and other Viporeons," Auria said.

"I wish Nya could have seen this," Kai said, and Christa replied,

"Oh, this is just the beginning."

As they finally made it across the room to the next doorway, Raven said, "We're almost there, one more room to cross."

After Raven opened the second door, there was a room that had blue fire in the four corners of it, in hanging lamps. The room was pretty small and dark, besides the gems that were placed in the ceiling and on the walls. Once everyone was in front of the double doors, Raven turned to the them with a smile and said,

"Well, here we are. Eh hem, introducing the underground city and kingdom of the Viporeons and the Black Mambian. The city of water and greatness..."

Raven slowly pushed opened the double doors, as light flooded the room and finished her sentence,

"The Kingdom of Water, Fountain Falls."

Everyone slowly stepped out of the room onto a ledge that was long enough for everyone to stand side by side on. The majority gasped in amazement while the remainders' jaws dropped, as they took in the view:

There was a large, white stoned, cylinder-shaped castle with five thinner and smaller towers of turquoise, light grey, lavender, light orange, and yellow around it. This large castle was in the center of the extremely large cavern, that almost reached the ceiling, unlike any other building that only made it close to half way up. The castle had water that poured down off of each of the five towers that were clasped around it. (Just know that one floor/story is doubled it's size for the castle.) There were other buildings all around the area near or far from the castle that were white, light blue, blue, dark blue, brown, and even green. The castle water that flowed down to the floor from the tops of the towers was caught by moats only around the five towers, but never over-filled.

Around the perimeter of the city was an area that was filled with water that glimmered and shined. The ceiling was fill of gems that glowed, especially a few large, pale-yellow gems that glowed the brightest and lit up the whole cavern. There were also three passages that led out of the cavern: the one where the Ninja Crew were on, the opposite wall, and on the left side of where the Ninja Crew came from. There was also a large entrance opposite side of where the Ninja crew was on ground level that led to another area that looked as though it was covered by an underground forest. There was also medium-sized birds that flew around with long golden-colored beak, white and light blue feathers, with purple tails and golden-colored talons. It was awesome.

As the Ninja Crew were still in awe, Raven looked down at the water slide that led from the ledge they were on, to the water below. It was formed from rock and had water that flowed down from it.

Then she said, to the Ninja Crew, "Let's slide down, it'll be easier to get down that way."

Raven was the first to slide down into the water with a splash. Flare, Auria, and Christa went down at the same time since the slide was pretty wide. The Ninja Crew followed and landed right into the water, not without screaming of course.

"Woo! Man that was fun." -Cole

"Good thing Jay didn't come this way. I don't think he brought extra underwear." -Kai

"This water is very cool and refreshing." -Zane

"Yes, the water here feels different, like if it's lighter and calming." -Misako

"It feels great." -Garmadon

"Yes, quite relaxing." -Sensei Wu

"It's wondrous how the water gleams and glitters all around. It must reflect the gems very well." -Dr. Julien

They swam over towards where Raven and the kunoichi were, on the outer boarder of the land.

As everyone pulled themselves up on the boarder, a dragon's roar was heard in the sky. Pearl landed next to Raven, and lowered her body down. Jay and Nya were on Pearl's back, and they jumped off next to Raven.

"Whoa, this place is amazing. It's so beautiful, Raven," Nya said, as she looked up at the castle and twirled once to look at the rest of the cavern.

"So _this_ is where you live, Raven. It's amazing! Even cooler than the other places-"

Jay cut off when he saw the other three princesses looking at him: Flare looked at him with an annoyance, Christa put her hands on her hips, and Auria just looked at Jay with a raised eyebrow. Jay gulped, and then he said,

"Well, um, what I mean is, uh, you know, your places were awesome too, but uh-" Jay was cut off by Nya,

"What he's trying to say is, each of your kingdoms has such distinct and unique characteristics, that it makes each of them special in their own way."

The princesses relaxed, and Jay signed and whispered to Nya,

"Thanks for the save."

Nya turned to Jay with a smile and whispered back, "Don't sweat it Jay, I'll always back you up."

Nya gave Jay a kiss on the cheek, which made Jay blush and smile.

Then the others came over to them.

"Man, this place is pret-ty big. Where do we go first?" Kai asked.

Raven answered, "First I have to see my father alone, and then you can all meet him afterward."

The Ninja Crew agreed, as they continued to follow Raven up to the castle.

As everyone made it close to the castle, Raven told them to stay outside and wait for her there. They once again agreed and stood where they were: in front and a little further away from the main castle doors stood a fountain with water shooting up from the center down to the area just below it. The Ninja Crew stood and rested beside this fountain, and the benches that were close by.

Within the castle, on the second floor balcony, stood a man overlooking some papers he was given not too long ago. He had been trying many experiments with chemical components and minerals, but he couldn't find the reaction he was searching for. In his research papers, he was getting closer to what he was searching for, but there was something missing. He tried to figure it out, but his mind was on other things...

_'Where is she? My dear child... I hope she comes home__soon.'_ The man thought.

Then he walked back within the room from the balcony. The room was pretty large with a white, elongated table near the center with many black chairs around it. It was like a conference room. There were projections pushed along the walls of the room and white boards around the room as well. He placed the papers within a yellow folder and closed it. He signed and then he stood thinking for a moment. Then he heard footsteps walking towards him. He was about to turn when he froze up, as he heard a sweet, gentle, and familiar voice say,

"Daddy?"

The man turned towards the voice and saw a young lady standing before him, with black hair and dark blue ninja attire with a purple scarf on that her mother gave her. She held a long, platinum-colored staff that was hooked slanted on her back. She froze in her step when the man, her father, turned and looked at her. He had black, spiked-up hair with some hair that stood like bangs on his face and especially near the sides of head, and his eyes glowed blue. His skin was slightly grey, and he wore a black, long-sleeved shirt with a blue and silver sash around his left shoulder to his right side. His pants were black, with a blue strip on each edge of the legs, and his shoes were also black. He had black gloves on, with white stripes near the wrist. He looked at the young lady, Raven, with his eyes widened. They both stood looking into each others' eyes. Then, Raven took a step forward and repeated,

"Daddy..."

"Raven..." Her father said.

Then both of them started walking towards one another, and then Raven, with a smile forming on her face, started running towards her dad, as he opened his arms wide with a smile slowly growing on his face. Raven ran right into her father's arms, and he caught her before she ended up knocking both of them on the floor.

"Oh daddy! I'm so glad to see you! I'm so sorry for leaving," Raven said, and then she started to cry.

Her father smiled widely and held onto Raven tightly, as one by one, tears rolled down his cheeks. He said,

"Raven, I'm ssso happy to sssee you again. I forgive you, and..."

He pulled back a little and lifted Raven's chin, so that she could look into his eyes.

Then he said, "I'm sorry too, for provoking you to leave, and for not comforting you like I should have done after what happened to your mother."

Raven smiled at her father and sniffled.

"I forgive you dad," she said, as her father smiled back, and they both hugged.

Outside, the Ninja Crew were waiting for Raven's return.

"What do you think her father looks like?" Cole asked, as he tossed some stones across the fountain.

"Don't know, but he more or less would look like a snake or something," Kai said, as he tossed the next stone.

Then Jay picked up a stone and asked, "You think he has a tail?"

The other guys looked at Jay, as he threw the next stone.

"Perhaps he may have a tail. He _is_ the only one of his kind, besides Raven," Zane said, as he tossed a stone too.

"We'll see when we meet him," Lloyd said, as he tossed another stone across the fountain.

"Nervous huh?" Kai asked as he nudged Lloyd on the shoulder, which made the Golden ninja look at him in annoyance, with an obvious blush.

"Don't worry Lloyd. If anything, we'll put a good word in for ya," Jay said, as he tried to figure out how Lloyd made the stone skip across the fountain.

"Yeah, and besides, your the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master, and she's the Princess of Fountain Falls. I think that's a fair match," Cole said.

"Of course, that depends on Raven's father. He may not care for status as much as personality," Zane said.

"Okay guys, come on. It's not like Raven and I are official..." Lloyd said, trying to hide his blush from the guys.

"Hey fools! Get over here," The guys turned to see Flare was calling them over.

"She really has a way with words," Cole said, sarcastically, as they walked over to Flare and the others.

When everyone was gathered around, Flare moved to the side, as Auria stood forward and said,

"Raven and her father are on their way."

Sensei Wu asked, "How do you know they are coming now?"

Auria turned towards the castle, and when everyone looked, they saw two people walking out of the tower, and five others slithering behind them.

Back in the tower a little while before:

"So, how have you been dad?" Raven asked, after she finished blowing her nose.

"Well, I've been doing alright, and the Viporeons have been doing fine as well," The King said.

Raven nodded, and then her dad asked, "So, how have you been doing?"

Raven sat down on one of the chairs, as her dad also took a seat and said, "Oh man dad, you've got to hear this..."

[Raven explained about:

meeting the ninja,

Marcell,

the secret evil meeting,

their visit to Volcanic lands,

their visit to Pulverize Peak Town,

being permanently older,

recent visit to Aeroplane,

about Silva,

about Ryan and what he told her about the relevants of her mother's crystal imprisonment to the villages separations,

and that Silva is rising up and planning to conquer each of the smaller lands.]

There was a lot of explaining, but Raven's father understood and caught on quickly to the situation. He stood silently listening, until Raven finished.

"I see..." He said, and asked, "Well, thisss is pretty troublesssome, isn't it?"

Raven nodded, and then her father said,

"Well that evil meeting seemsss pretty important. It would be bessst to attend. Undercover of course."

Raven once again nodded and said, "Yes. We all agreed it would be best to prepare and attend that meeting, since it's our only lead."

Raven's father stood up from his seat and said, "Then you'll need extra help to train and prepare. I know just the sssnakess for the job."

He pointed towards another entrance that connected the second floor to the third. Raven stood up and looked, as she saw five snakes slithering towards them. She gasped and smiled, as she ran up to the five Viporeon generals. [The Viporeons have the same patterns and main colors as the male serpentine, yet they all have pink colors instead of white or yellow that the serpentine have, and they have what looks like pink eye shadow around their eyes like the smokey eyes. You know what I'm talking about, right? Also, some of the Viporeons are mainly pink, and some aren't. Oh and Anaca has two spikes on her head that aim upward.]

"Oh my gosh! Your all here: Anaca [Anacondrai leader], Serpana [Hypnobrai leader], Vena [Venomari leader], Carrie [Constrictai leader], Fajra(FIE-ra) [Fangpyer leader]! It's been too long! I missed you guys. I'm sorry for sending you all on a wild goose chase," Raven said.

The Viporeon Serpentine each hugged Raven and spoke:

First was Anaca. "It'sss alright young one, assss long asssss your home now."

Then Serpana. "We underssstand why you left, it'sss alright."

Next was Vena. "Oh, it'sss great to sssee you unharmed."

Now was Carrie. "We're sssso glad your in one piece."

Finally was Fajra. "Don't worry child/ We forgive/ And forget/ It'ssss no problem."

Then Raven's father stood next to Raven, as the Viporeons bowed to their king and the princess.

"King Terrin, Princess Raven," Anaca said in respect.

"So Raven," King Terrin said, and asked, "Where are the othersss you've traveled with? I would love to meet them."

Terrin's snake-like tongue would sometimes show, as he spoke.

"Oh yes, that's right! You must meet my friends!" Raven said with excitement.

She took her father's hand, and lead him down the staircase to the first floor. The other Viporeons followed behind them.

Then Raven released her father's hand, as she was about to open the door, but Carrie grabbed the door first and opened it while bowing. Raven smiled shyly, and then she let her father pass first, as she followed behind him.

Present:

They were all walking outside together; King Terrin and Raven in front, and the Viporeons behind them. Raven looked and saw the Ninja Crew gathered together, walking towards them.

Then Ninja Crew stopped, as Raven, her father, and the Viporeons continued walking until they came face to face...

**The King of the Viporeons gets to meet the Ninja... I wonder how that will turn out... :)**


	20. Chapter 20 Disclosure

"Is _he_ Raven's dad?" Jay asked, while Raven, King Terrin, and the Viporeons walked towards them.

"Yes, he's her father, and you shall address him respectfully. He is the King after all," Flare said.

When Raven and King Terrin stood before the ninja, Christa walked next to Raven and cleared her throat before speaking,

"Presenting his royal highness of all the Viporeons, and ruler of Fountain Falls, the one and only, King Terrin."

The ninja stood staring at King Terrin in amazement and wonder. His blues eyes seemed to glow more vibrant now that he was in the light of the crystals that shined brilliantly at that time of day. Flare smacked the five ninja over the heads, and gestered to bow before the king. The boys saw that even Sensei Wu, Garmadon, Misako, Nya, and Dr. Julien had bowed their heads before the king, as well as Flare, Christa, and Auria. They then bowed their heads in respect, which made Terrin chuckle at their silliness.

"So, these are the ninja warriors and their allies I've heard so much about. It's nice to finally meet them in person," Terrin said.

"Yes, and it is an honor to be in your presence as well your majesty. We offer you our service," Sensei Wu said.

King Terrin nodded in approval and said, "That is much appreciated, thank you."

As Terrin said this, Jay, Cole, Kai, Zane, and Lloyd noticed the serpentine who stood about five feet away. They were amazed by them since that was the first time they saw them clearly, but they were on guard since their last encounter didn't go so well. The large snake, Anaca the Anacondrai, turned her attention towards the ninja when she noticed they were watching them. She was able to get eye contact with Lloyd, and she smiled towards him. Lloyd was surprised, but then he smiled back a little akwardly, which made Anaca chuckle. Raven noticed this and she chuckled as well at Lloyd's reaction.

Then Terrin gestured towards the castle tower and said, "Come friends, let's talk in the conference room."

Everyone agreed and they followed King Terrin into the castle.

Everyone was able to take a seat, as Terrin spoke. He told them that he just learned from an informant that Silva plans to rule the smaller, weaker villages before hitting the larger, stronger ones like Ninjago city, Aeroplane, and etc. He told them that after an incident that occured with his wife, the villagers became afraid and were torn apart from their relationships with other villages. Then, when he was asked about his wife, Terrin answered,

"Through investigation, I was able to piece together what happened that night... my wife found a thief trying to steal from our archives. She fought with the perpetrator, but then she ended up being sealed in a crystal prison by that perpetrator. The crystal prison is similar to freezing a person, but crystal doesn't melt, and the prison is too strong, she won't be able to break out herself... I tried all I could to break her out, but I haven't been successful... This technique was classified as forbidden, and the scroll was broken into pieces and scattered among the lands so that no one would be able to use it again or find it. However, someone must have found the pieces, merged them together, and learned the jitzu."

"So it's a different type of jitzu? Like spinjitzu?" Kai asked.

Terrin replied, "Your spinjitzu and this crystal-jitzu are actually not so similar. The crystal-jitzu is for one use at a time, and it takes a toll on the user. That's why it's forbidden. The scroll wasn't destroyed because the scroll has the counteracting formula written inside, because it wasn't confirmed if someone else already learned the jitzu... I assume the one who used this jitzu may be in-hiding until they can recover from using it, but I'm concerned because this person may return, and who knows what other damage they can cause..."

"Do you think Silva is responsible?" Zane asked, and Terrin answered,

"No. I don't think so, but I have no leads... It might be Silva, it might not. But I do know this: Whoever that thief was, they gave one heck of a fight. Reine is very powerful and skillful, so for that thief to fight her, seal her, and then escape... They've got skills, but..."

Terrin stood silent for a moment, and then Garmadon asked,

"But what, Your highness?"

After a moment, Terrin replied, "The markings and damage on the library look pretty familiar, and by what Raven told me, Silva wouldn't cause that kind of damage, or that much..."

After a moment of silence, Auria said, "Your majesty, I think it would be safe to conclude that whoever froze Sensei Reine, only Sensei Reine herself would know the thief's identity."

Terrin nodded and said, "Yes. That's why it is imperative that we free her immediately. I have gotten close, but I _still_ can't figure out what I'm missing."

Then Dr. Julien stood up and said, "Well your highness, if you don't mind, I would like to assist you in helping free the Queen from that crystal prison. I know a lot about science and the works, so I may be able to help"

Then Misako stood up and said, "I would like to help as well your highness. I have traveled a long distance around the world, and I know about certain things that may prove useful."

Then Sensei Wu, Garmadon, Nya, the five ninja, and the three kunoichi stood up one after the other.

"King Terrin," Sensei Wu said and continued, "We will all assist you in your efforts to free the Queen from the crystal prison, and to find the user of the crystal-jitzu. We'll also fight to protect the Viporeons, yourself, and particularly Raven in this case. You have our support and friendship."

Terrin was surprised by the determination and loyalty of the people before him. Then, he smiled in relief and happiness, something he hasn't done in a long time, excluding when Raven came home.

He nodded and said, "Thank you, all of you."

Raven, who was standing next to her father, also smiled in joy from everyone's dedication, and because of how happy her father became. She turned towards Lloyd, who nodded in her direction, which made her nod back.

Afterward, Terrin excused Raven and himself from the conference room because he wanted to speak to her alone for a moment. Everyone else in the conference room stood up from their seats to stretch out. Then the five ninja were asked by Sensei Wu to befriend the Viporeons, which wasn't something they looked forward to [You know, since they are use to fighting Serpentine, and their last encounter with the Viporeons was through a battle.].

"But Sensei, the last time we met the Viporeons it didn't go so well," Jay said, as he shook his head.

"If we're going to be working with King Terrin and the other kingdoms, we have to be respectful of their leaders as well as their followers. I know we haven't seen eye to eye with the Serpentine before, and we haven't had a better chance with the Viporeons either, but we have to do what's necessary to ensure the safety of our world. Even if it may feel uncomfortable," Sensei said, as he stroked his beard.

"Wu is right," Misako said and continued, "It's best for us to at least get along with the Viporeons."

"Yeah, you wouldn't want to get on their 'bad' side." The ninja turned and saw Flare, Christa, and Auria standing together, looking at them.

"They can get pretty hostile when angered," Christa said.

"What do you mean?" Nya asked, and Auria replied,

"You wouldn't want to know."

"Wouldn't want to know what?"

All the ninja turned, and saw that Anaca had spoken. The other Viporeon generals were with her too.

"Well, well, the ninja who ssssaved Ninjago from peril," Serpana said.

"What a pleasssure to meet all of you. In better sssircumssstances of courssse," Vena said.

The ninja were a bit nervous, but then Misako stood forward, with an outstretched hand, and said,

"Well it is a pleasure to meet all of you at last. I am Misako."

"Yesss/We recognize/You/We're ssssorry about our/behavior from before," Fajra(FIE-ra) said, as she shook Misako's hand.

"It's quite alright," Misako said as she released Fajra's hand.

"Yesss pleasssure to see you all, and... hey, your that icce ninja from the roof," Carrie the Constrictai said, as she gestured towards Zane.

"Oh, um, yes, and you were the Constrictai I fought with," Zane said, as he became a bit nervous, since Carrie moved closer towards him with unknown intent.

Then Carrie pat Zane on the shoulder and said, "I ssssaw how you helped sssave Raven from that nassty fall. I informed the othersss of your ssserviccce. We all really appreciate your heroic effortsss to pressserve Raven's life, and the other ninja too Thank you."

The other snakes, as well as Carrie, each made a bowing gesture towards the ninja, especially Zane. The ninja crew looked at one other and they each smiled.

Then Sensei Wu said, "We are always willing to help anyone in need, and we also thank you for letting us be able to help and spend time with Princess Raven."

The Viporeons nodded, and Anaca said,

"Yesss, after realizing your intentionsss would have been as good as oursss, we decided to let Raven sssstay with you, and I can sssee that that wass the right choice ssince she is back home sssafe and sssound."

As the Ninja and Viporeons conversed, King Terrin and Raven had returned from a short discussion they had.

"Everyone," King Terrin called out from the stairway.

The Ninja crew and Viporeons turned towards the King as he spoke,

"Alright, my fellow ssserpents, if you would be so kind as to show the Ninja where they will be ssstaying. Also, if you wish, you may explore the city. I grant you all permissssion to go where you wish, except above the floor we are in now, unlessss authorized. Oh, and thank you again for your effortsss and sssupport."

After the King finished, he started heading up the stairway, while Raven started walking over to the Ninja and Viporeons.

"So we can go anywhere we want now?!" Jay asked, with enthusiasm since he had been wanting to look around (You know, to see what technology was there and what he could make).

"Firsst we will show you where you will be sssstaying. Then you may begin your exxcavation," Anaca said as she lead everyone outside.

The building where the ninja crew would be staying was behind the castle towers in an elongated, rectangular building that was elevated about ten feet with a stairway to climb up. There were actually two buildings like this that stood next to each other, one for males and the other for females. The entrance was through the shorter width-ed side and there were blue windows with white curtains on the inside, but if you look out the window, the outside wouldn't look blue.

Upon entering, it was like a long and very wide hallway with doors on each side. Also, when entering a room, there were two windows on the opposite wall and two beds under the windows. There were two brown lampstands at the outside of each bed, and there was a closet on the right, and a bathroom on the left. The whole room was beige with a white line across the room, a white ceiling, and a light brown rug. The hallway was also all white with a beige line across it, and brown doors with golden doors knobs.

Each person shared a room with one other person like so: Raven and Auria, Flare and Nya, Christa and Misako, Kai and Jay, Zane and Cole, Sensei Wu and Dr. Julien, and Garmadon and Lloyd.

"Great, we know where we're staying now, that's good. Now let's go see the city," Jay said as he ran outside.

"Why isss he so excited to walk outside, and then end up coming back becaussse he hassss no idea where he'sss going?" Carrie asked Kai.

Kai replied, "Eh, I don't know, that's just Jay for ya."

Carrie nodded, and then Jay ended up coming back in the guest house, and said,

"Um, yeah, I have no idea where I'm going."

Kai and Carrie looked at one another and started laughing while Jay was asking them what was so funny. Then Raven ran in front of everyone and yelled out with her hands up in the air,

"Come on guys! I'll give you all a tour of my homeland!"

Raven lead the Ninja crew near the edge of the city, and then she showed them a trail that led up towards the cave walls and that continued around the cave, spiraling upward. You can see the whole city all around when following the trail. Raven was showing everyone the city while pointing and explaining about certain places.

"Ok, you see the towers there with the water that's moving downward. If you look carefully, some of those waterfalls are actually moving upward, which is why there is a continuous water flow on the towers that doesn't flood the city," Raven said.

"I didn't notice that the water moved upward like that," Nya said.

"Oh man that's cool," Jay commented.

"Amazing," Misako also commented.

Raven continued, "Yes, those towers are part of the castle, if you go up to the third floor, you can actually enter the towers. The third floor room is like a round hallway with different entrances to each tower as is the fourth and fifth floor."

"What's at the top floor, if you don't mind me asking?" Cole asked, and Raven replied,

"That's where my family and myself live."

"What about the towers, what's in them?" Kai asked, and Raven answered,

"Each tower is where the Viporeon leaders live. They each take residents in one of the towers. You see, the rest of the Viporeons guard the city and cave. Meanwhile their leaders oversee the city, lead the Viporeons, and protect my family including myself within the tower."

"Oohh... cool," Jay said, as everyone continued walking around the cave walls.

Raven showed everyone that there was a study hall based on gem crafting and crystal study. There was also a center for arts, some music, and poison control. There was a library of the history of the Viporeons, Ninjago, Volcanic lands, etc. There was a department of water-related vehicles being established that had land vehicles too. There was one area with an arena where the Viporeons would fight in tournaments for fun, and to settle disputes with other Viporeons, if any. Also, there was that forest area in the second part of the cave, where you could walk from the city streets right into that place. This forest was almost as big as the city, maybe a little bigger. In the center was a lake, and at different locations were little fountains. After showing this last area, Raven lead everyone back to the city, and from there everyone decided to disperse to different locations for a close-up perspective of what Raven had showed them.

As the day passed to night, the lights of the crystals in the cave dimmed to signal that the sun had set outside. All the Viporeons returned to their respective homes, and the Ninja Crew decided to turn in for the night. Terrin went into the castle, while Raven went with the others to the guest rooms.

The boys went to their rooms, while the girls went to their rooms.

"Ah man, we can finally rest," Kai said, as he stretched his arms up and threw himself on his bed.

"Yeah man, this place is amazing!" Jay said, as he pulled his covers over himself.

"Yeah. I can't wait to see the arena. Carrie said she would show me some moves," Kai said, as he pulled his covers over himself.

"Heh, are you sure _Flare_ wouldn't mind?" Jay asked, slyly.

Kai asked, suspiciously, "Why would she?"

"Well," Jay sat up and continued, "I mean, you wouldn't want to make your _girlfriend_ jealous if your hanging out with someone else."

Kai immediately sat up and looked at Jay, appalled.

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND! What are you talking about?!" Kai yelled out.

Jay picked up his hands defensively, "Woah man, just calm down. I was joking. Ha Ha."

Kai took one last look at Jay before laying back down, slowly.

Then Jay laid down, and said,

"Heh heh. Night Kai."

"Night Jay," Kai said, as he faced the opposite way of Jay, and thought,

_'Flare as my girlfriend... AS IF!__She's stubborn, arrogant, harsh... sincere, compassionate, hot-__Woah ho ho ho! What am I thinking?! Flare is...! Flare is...__Aaaahhh!'_

Kai tried to fall asleep by putting his pillow on his face, while Jay noticed and was holding back his laugh.

"So Nya," Flare said, as she pulled the covers over herself.

"What?" Nya asked, while laying down.

"How long have you and Jay been together?" Nya blushed, while Flare smirked.

"Well, we've been going out for a while now," Nya said and added, "Especially after defeating the Overlord and such. We've been trying to rebuild some of Ninjago City and clean up the mess, which gave us time to spend together and go out on dates."

"Ah, I see," Flare said and continued, "and theeeen the Viporeons showed up."

Nya nodded. Then Flare said,

"You love each other, right?"

Nya again nodded.

"Hm... it's nice to have that relationship with someone," Flare said, as she turned over.

Nya found that odd.

"Flare. Do _you_ have that relationship with someone?" Nya asked.

Flare thought about it, and then she sat up and said, "Well no, and I don't plan on having one! It's irrelevant to my life."

"Whether it's irrelevant or not, isn't having someone you love and that one who loves you more important?" Nya asked.

Then Flare said, "Well... I have no interest in anyone anyway okay? That's it!"

Flare laid back down, quick. Nya found that even more odd. Then something clicked in Nya's mind, and she smiled while laying down, and said,

"Ok Flare. -sign- I wonder how Kai is doing now? Especially sharing a room with Jay, I wonder if he's getting much sleep."

Nya peeked over at Flare, who was staring at the ceiling. and she saw her face soften with a little smile. Nya also smiled, but then straightened her face and looked away when Flare looked in her direction. Then Flare turned over to sleep, while Nya did the same.

"Lloyd," Garmadon called his son, as they were getting ready to sleep.

"Yeah dad?" Lloyd replied, as he sat on his bed.

"I was wondering how you've been doing? It's been awhile since we've been alone to talk," Garmadon asked.

"Oh, well, I've been good, I guess, besides this whole situation with Silva, Ryan, and their minions trying to kidnap Raven and attack us," Lloyd said with a shrug.

"Ha ha, yes, things have been very _eventful_ recently. But we should be used to that though," Garmadon said.

"Yeah, heh heh," Lloyd said.

Then Garmadon thought about something, which Lloyd saw that his father looked 'lost in thought.'

"Uh, Dad, are you okay? Is there something on your mind?" Lloyd asked.

"Lloyd... what do you think of the girls?" Garmadon asked.

Lloyd was a little surprised by Garmadon's question, but he answered,

"Well, heh, the girls are pretty fun to be around. Flare was pretty tough, but she's funny to hang around, expecially when dealing with Kai. Christa's pretty funny too, and I didn't realize that she likes to box so that's cool. Auria is serious, but she's cool, and funny when she wants to be. And Raven, she's just... so different. Like, I can't explain it dad. She's... unique... and kind, but she's tough too... I'm not sure how to say-"

"She is full of kindness and gentleness like a sakura blossom, and strength that can also fill your heart with passion like a gladioli," Garmadon said, as Lloyd looked at his father in surprise.

"Dad... how did you know?" Lloyd asked, still shocked by how accurate his father's words were.

"Because... that's how I think of your mother," Garmadon said, as he looked towards Lloyd.

Lloyd eyes widened at this realization, as Garmadon smiled at him and said,

"Well. It's best we get some rest, shall we?"

Lloyd snapped out of his thoughts and said, "Oh. Uh, yeah. Let's get some sleep."

Lloyd laid on his bed, and pulled the covers over himself, as his father did the same. Just when Lloyd closed his eyes, he heard his father whisper,

"Stay close to her Lloyd. Don't do what I did..."

"I won't dad... I promise," Lloyd whispered, as Garmadon smiled.

With that said, they both fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, as the Ninja Crew slept, the Viporeons were taking shifts in guarding Fountain Falls to ensure everyone's safety. However, a certain hooded person was able to slip right through security. He was able to teleport across the city, between each shadow that the buildings cast. The Viporeons were unable to detect him, since he teleported quick and silently.

Eventually, he made it to the buildings where the Ninja Crew were sleeping in. He was able to concentrate for a moment, and sense that everyone was asleep by their heart beats.

_'There,'_ He thought, when he recognized Raven's power element. He teleported to the window outside of the room, and he was able to unlock it with his some telekinetic power. He slipped into the room and looked left to see that Auria had her back towards him. Then he looked right and saw that Raven was asleep on her back. He walked over to Raven, and he picked her up gently.

_'Time to go Raven. Sorry about this,'_ He thought.

As Ryan turned to the window. He stopped in his tracks, as his eyes widened, when he saw Auria holding her fan out towards him.

"Don't take another step," Auria said in a deep, and more sullen voice.

Ryan stood still for a moment, and then he said,

"So you were up."

Auria nodded, and then Raven opened her eyes and looked up at Ryan.

"We both are," Raven said, as she pulled out of Ryan's grasp.

Then she jumped away from Ryan, and stood behind Auria.

"What are Silva's true intentions with Raven and why are you assisting her?" Auria asked.

After a moment of silence, Ryan looked up at both girls with his glowing red eyes and said,

"I can't disclose that information because I'm not sure, but the reason why I am helping Silva is because..."

After another moment of silence, Ryan smirked and said,

"Silva is my mother."

**Oh! Ryan's mom is Silva! Though, I wonder if some of you figured that out already? ;)**


	21. Chapter 21 Lloyd vs Ryan

Raven gasped, as Auria's eyes widened.

"Silva is your mother?!" Auria clarified, and Ryan nodded and said,

"Yes, she is. She may be evil and stuff, but she's still a good mother. Weird huh?"

Auria and Raven stood in some shock, until Ryan took a step forward. Raven stepped back, while Auria held her fan forward and stood her ground.

"I'm sorry girls. I have a mission to complete now. No hard feelings." -Ryan

"Ryan, you don't have to do this. I am aware of your feelings for Raven, so I wish for you to reconsider your actions, if you may." -Auria

Ryan took a moment to think about Auria's request.

'_To think... they really believe...' _Ryan thought, but then he straightened up and said, with actually sincerity,

"I'm sorry," as he disappeared.

As both kunoichi looked around the room swiftly, Ryan was right above them with his feet planted on the ceiling. Auria heard a light breathing from above and swifty looked up to see Ryan. He descended from the ceiling, as Auria swept one of her fans upward, which sent a wind slash right towards him. Immediately, Ryan put his hand in front of him, as a dark energy engulfed his hand and cancelled out the wind attack. Then Ryan landed on the floor, as Auria jumped back and attacked with a series of wind slashes. Ryan dodged most of the slashes and was able to block off the rest. Then Ryan did a back flip while trying to kick Auria's fans out of her hand. He was able to hit one, but Auria moved her other hand back.

As the fan flew across the room, Raven was able to catch it. When Ryan got his footing in front of the room door, his eyes slightly widened when he saw Auria and Raven spin simultaneously with the fans, and use a powerful wind slash right towards him. Instead of dodging, Ryan blocked himself, as he was sent flying through the door and wall from the impact of the wind attacks. A cloud of dust stood in the center of the hallway where Ryan flew to. Raven and Auria walked out the room, as Raven gave Auria her fan. Raven grabbed her water staff and carried it on her back, as Auria walked onward, step by step, towards where Ryan was in the cloud dust.

When the dust cleared after Auria swept her fan over it, her eyes widened and she gasped.

_'Where did he go?'_ Auria thought.

In that moment, Auria was sent flying across the hall with a heavy blow to her back.

When Auria was hit, Raven tried to run after her, but she was snatched up by Ryan. He lassoed Raven with a dark energy rope and carried her on his shoulder, as he teleported to a new location. Raven screamed right before the teleportation.

As Auria rose up from being knocked in the head, she saw that the other girls had ran out of their rooms with their fighting gear on. They ran up to Auria.

"What happened Auria? What's all the commotion?" -Flare

"And where is Raven?" -Christa

Auria replied quickly, "Ryan came and he took Raven away."

The girls eyes widened in shock.

"He took Raven... We have to hurry before he escapes," Nya said.

"I'll wake up the boys and fill them in," Misako said, as she ran out of the building.

"Alright, let's spread out," Auria instructed, as the girls nodded and ran out of the building.

Christa ran towards the castle to inform King Terrin and the Viporeons.

As Misako ran out, the guys were already suited up outside.

"Misako, what's happening? We heard a crash," Garmadon asked.

Misako replied, "Ryan happened. Auria fought with him, but he was able to take Raven anyway."

"What?!" Lloyd said, in shock, as panic slowly rose in his heart.

"He took her?!" -Jay

"No way." -Cole

"But Auria should have been able to stop him..." -Zane

"How is that even possible?" -Kai

"The poor girl. There must be something we could do." -Dr. Julien

"Ryan may not have gotten far, we can still catch him," Misako said, reassuring.

"Then we mustn't waste anymore time. Spread out and find Raven, quickly!" Sensei Wu commanded.

"Yes Sensei!" The ninja said in unison, as they ran forth in different directions.

"Oh, I hope they find Raven before it's too late," Dr. Julien said, as Misako turned to him and said,

"Don't worry. I know they'll find her... they have to."

Misako turned away sadly at the last part. Sensei Wu put his hand on Misako's shoulder and said,

"The ninja will find her. I guarantee it."

Misako smiled at Sensei Wu and nodded. Then Sensei Wu quickly stepped away from Misako when Garmadon walked towards her to give them some space.

"As you said, Ryan couldn't have gotten far. They should be close to finding him soon," Garmadon said.

Misako looked towards Garmadon and nodded, as she hugged him.

Each of the ninja ran across the city to see where Ryan could have gone.

Lloyd, Kai, and Auria ending up meeting in front of the forest entrance from the city:

Auria stood before the entrance and was about to enter when she heard her name being called.

"Auria!" Kai called out, as he and Lloyd ran towards her.

"I believe Ryan ran this way," she said with a meek tone of voice.

"Auria, what happened with Ryan? How could you let him escape?" Lloyd said in a worried and a little angered voice.

"Lloyd-" Kai said, but was interrupted by Auria,

"I'm sorry I let him slip away. Even though I was unaware of his powers, I should have been more careful..."

Auria turned towards the forest with her platinum fans in each hand, as the fans started to glow.

"It won't happen again," Auria said in a sort of darkened voice, which surprised Kai and Lloyd.

"Let's go. I'll take the right, Kai the left, and Lloyd center. Let's move!" Auria said, as Kai and Lloyd agreed.

The three ninja ran through the forest quickly towards their directions.

"He's not here...here...here..." Cole said, as his voice echoed in the cave entrance where they first came through.

"He's not here," Jay said, as he continued to hop from building to building around the city.

"He's not here," Flare said, as she ran across the edge of where the water was that surrounded the city.

"So you see, Ryan came here and now he took Raven away and everyone is looking for him and Raven now," Christa said, as she took a breath.

Terrin's back was turned from her, as he looked out the window and saw everyone including the Viporeons, searching for Raven. Then the King turned towards Christa, with glowing blue eyes and a stern yet tranquil expression.

"Let'ssss go," King Terrin said, as his fangs appeared and his body glowed a violet-blue.

When the glow was gone, he was no longer in his human form, but in the form of a snake. His body was all black with neon blue designs in diamond shapes and silver outlines. His eyes were blue with two black slits for pupils. He had four silver spikes that bended back, while two of them stood curved up at the top of his head. His fangs were thin but long enough to go just passed his chin. He had what looked like shoulder armor on his shoulders of a bluish hue. His tail was long, and it had short, silver spikes across the back with three around the tail.

Christa stood in attention, as he passed by her. She followed as close as she could behind him, since he was moving very fast out of the castle.

"He's not here," Zane said, as he stood in front of a fountain within the forest.

A rustling was heard behind him, as Zane spinned around and readied his ice sword.

"Zane?"

Zane lowered his weapon, as a Grey Kunoichi stepped out from behind the bushes.

"Auria," Zane said.

"Darn! Where could they be?" Kai said, as he jumped across the trees in the forest.

"Raven, I'm coming," Lloyd said, as he ran passed the trees across the forest.

Her eyes fluttered open, as Raven tried to look around. As her focus grew clearer, she realized that she was sitting near one of the fountains around the center of the forest. She tried to move, but she realized that her arms were tied together. Also, her water staff was leaning on the center part of the fountain shaped as three birds back-to-back with wings spread and water coming from their mouths. Raven tried and stand up, which she did pretty easily with just her legs. She was about to jump into the fountain water to get her staff, until she heard a voice that made her immediately turn around.

"Hello Raven."

Raven turned to see Ryan standing a few feet away.

"Ryan. What are you doing?" Raven asked.

"Kidnapping you apparently." Ryan replied, nonchalantly with a shrug.

Raven looked away, and then she looked at Ryan and said,

"Ryan, _please_ don't do this. Let me go."

Ryan closed his eyes to think about it. Then he opened them and said,

"As I said before, I'm sorry. I don't have much of a choice. If I let you go, my mother may grow suspicious..."

"But Ryan, why follow Silva if you don't want to?" Raven asked.

"She's my mother. I love her. I want her to be content," Ryan replied.

"But Ryan-" Raven said, but was interrupted by Ryan.

"Also... I'm not as good as you think," Ryan said with a devious look in this eyes that made Raven nervous.

"I don't agree with the plans, but I _do_ agree with the domination of the world. Although, I could easily do it myself.. all well. It doesn't matter I guess, except..." Ryan stood silent for a moment.

"'Except' what?" Raven asked.

Ryan shook his head, "Nothing, let's go."

He seemed annoyed at this point, so Raven asked,

"Ryan, what's_ really_ going on? Tell me!"

Ryan walked closer to Raven, as he placed his hand gently on her shoulder.

Then he said, "Raven, I do like you, but that's why _I_ would prefer to bring you to my mother. I wouldn't want you to get hurt, especially if my mom was to get you herself. Raven just-"

An angered voice interrupted Ryan, saying,

"Get _a__way_ from her!"

Raven and Ryan turned to see Lloyd standing not too far away. Ryan turned towards Lloyd, and both guys had a stare down. Raven knew this wasn't going to turn out well, so she slowly manuvered her way into the fountain water, and started making her way towards her water staff.

_'I have to stop them before this gets out of hand,'_ Raven thought.

Lloyd and Ryan stood in their stare down. During this time, Lloyd was confused because of what Ryan said, and he thought,

_'So... he __**likes**__ Raven? __B__ut he __seems to like her__ a lot... __NO__! __H__e's not taking her __away__ from me.'_

Also, Ryan thought, _'This kid won't give up huh?... I wonder how much he heard? __W__ell, by the way he's looking at me... just enough. __B__ut I won't let him take __her__ so easily.'_

Both guys stood their ground, and then they immediately ran towards one another.

_'Your not taking her!'_ Lloyd thought.

_'Let's see what you got,' _Ryan thought.

Raven was able to walk towards her water staff without being noticed. She turned around and was able to tilt her hand in a certain way so that the points on the tip could cut the ropes around her hands.

"Yes!" Raven said, as she threw off the ropes and grabbed her staff. She turned and saw that Ryan and Lloyd were already fighting.

"Oh no," Raven said.

As the two guys ran towards one another, Lloyd shot a light energy ball at Ryan, as Ryan shot a dark energy ball at Lloyd. The two attacks cancelled out on contact. Then Lloyd used ice on the ground below Ryan, but Ryan was able to teleport away behind Lloyd. With dark energy in his right hand, Ryan was going to punch him, but Lloyd was able to duck under the punch. Then, as Ryan staggered a bit from missing the punch, Lloyd kicked him. However, Ryan looked at Lloyd as if he didn't feel a thing, which made Lloyd confused. Then Ryan grabbed Lloyd's leg and tossed him away. Lloyd was able to spin and land, but Ryan was already there, and he kicked Lloyd, which sent him flying back a few feet.

Lloyd was flat on his back, but then he saw Ryan coming down with a finishing blow. Lloyd barrel rolled to dodge the attack and jumped away. Ryan came down and hit the ground. A dark electricity emitted from Ryan's hand through the surrounding ground, which uplifted the earth around it, and cracked it in many pieces. Ryan shifted his eyes towards Lloyd, as they made eye contact. Lloyd was amazed by Ryan's power, and Ryan looked at Lloyd in annoyance since he missed.

Then Ryan stood up straight and put his hands together, as a dark energy ball of red and white manifested in his hands. Then Lloyd nodded and stood up straight, as a light energy ball of green and gold appeared in his hands. Lloyd and Ryan had another stare down. Then they both yelled out, as they unleashed their attacks at one another. The stream of power of each attack went charging towards one another. The impact of each attack was great, but Lloyd and Ryan stood their grounds, as they fought for control.

Flare was able to sense a dark presence in the forest, and she knew it had to be Ryan. She found Cole, Jay, Nya, Misako, Sensei Wu, Dr. Julien, Christa, and King Terrin.

"I know where they are," Flare said, as she led them towards the forest.

Kai was still searching, and he heard a crash somewhere. He followed where the sound had come from.

Zane and Auria also heard a crash and they decided to follow where the sound had come from.

Unknown to everyone, Garmadon had already ran over to the forest, following where Lloyd had run off to. He was looking around until he heard a crash.

"Lloyd!" Garmadon said, as he started running after the sound.

As Lloyd and Ryan continued their struggle for power, Ryan called out to Lloyd,

"So Lloyd! Are you ready to give up or be obliterated?!"

Then Lloyd yelled back, "The only one who's going to be obliterated, is _you_ Ryan!"

"We'll see!" Ryan said, as the intensity of their attacks got more, well, intense!

Ryan and Lloyd began to shout out, as they struggled for control. Then a scream was heard in the form of a word,

"STOP!"

Lloyd and Ryan weren't able to react or make another sound, as they saw Raven running with her glowing water staff, and striking down right where both of their attacks met. This caused both attacks to reflect and cancel out in a wave of energy, that sent Lloyd and Ryan flying back on the ground.

As both guys stood up, the dust where Raven was finally cleared. She stood there with her water staff downward after her strike, breathing heavily. She looked around her and saw that the floor was cracked and burnt. She also saw that where she was standing, was the only area that wasn't affected.

Raven stood up and looked at her hands and her staff, as she marveled at how she was able to cancel off the attacks without being harmed. Then Raven fell on her knees, since that took a toll on her. Lloyd immediately ran to Raven's side and removed his ninja hood to speak to her.

"Raven, Raven! Are you alright?" He asked, in concern.

Raven shook off her daze by shaking her head, and then looked up at Lloyd. He was on one knee, but she still had to look up at him.

"Lloyd... I'm fine. I'm okay." -Raven

"Are you sure?" -Lloyd

"Im sure." -Raven

Raven stood up on two feet, as Lloyd stood next to her to make sure she wouldn't fall. Then she turned and looked towards Ryan, as did Lloyd.

Ryan was able to stand up, and walk a little closer to them, as he was actually shocked.

_'How could she have had the power to cancel off our attacks, without __even __a scratch on her? How powerful is she?'_ Ryan thought.

At this point, Ryan stopped walking and looked down. Raven and Lloyd stood watching him to see what he was going to do next. Then Ryan lifted his head and looked at Lloyd and Raven and said,

"I see that you have much more power than I had originally anticipated Raven... Oh, and Lloyd, you still have work to do."

Of course Lloyd was annoyed by that, and he replied,

"Uh, thanks, I guess..."

Then Ryan said, "I've decided to leave you two now, but don't think you won't see me again. Especially you, Lloyd. I wish to continue where we left off, one day of these days."

Lloyd nodded, as he took a few steps towards Ryan and said, "Yeah. One of these days we'll finish where we started."

Ryan nodded, as he turned to walk away.

"Ryan," Raven called out, as she stepped forward next to Lloyd.

Ryan looked over his shoulder at Raven.

"Thank you," Raven said, which made Ryan smirk, as he turned back forward.

"Don't mention it," was the last thing Ryan said, before teleporting away in a dark flash.

**Prepare for the next chapter... **


	22. Chapter 22 Reconcile

**Tip for reading: Try not to cry... ;)**

After a moment to ensure that Ryan was gone, Raven and Lloyd finally signed in relief. During this time, Kai had finally made it to where Lloyd and Raven were. They didn't see him, but he continued walking up to them, quietly.

"Whew man, that was crazy," Raven said, as Lloyd replied,

"Yeah it was."

They both smiled at each other, but then Lloyd looked away sadly, thinking about something. Raven walked closer to Lloyd and asked,

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Then Lloyd asked,

"Raven. Does Ryan like you?"

At that question, Kai stopped walking and looked at them in surprise. Then he quickly jumped behind a tree that was nearby, so that they wouldn't notice him.

Raven was also surprised by Lloyd's question, but then she signed and replied,

"Yes, he does."

Lloyd looked at Raven, in surprise to her answer, and asked, "How do you know?"

"Well..." Raven said, as she rubbed the back of her neck and continued,

"When you guys ran after Ryan, he came to camp and gave me a scroll to read right before he disappeared. At first, I ran into the Bounty because he knocked out Dr. Julien, so I went to get some medicine for him. Then I read the scroll and it said that he wanted to meet me alone that night to tell me something that had to do with my mother. So, I snuck out of camp that night, and that's when I met him and we talked. He told me about how the villages were fighting one another, and that Silva was going to take down each one, and then he told me that he liked me and he tried to kiss me, but I stopped him and then he left.-"

Raven was interrupted when Lloyd yelled out,

"WHAT?!"

Raven held her hand to her mouth, as Lloyd's eyes widened and his expression was clearly in shock.

"He tried to _kiss_ you?!" Lloyd asked, as Raven's hand slowly lowered from her mouth.

"Yes," Raven said in a low voice, but loud enough for Lloyd to hear.

Then Lloyd became a little flustered and said,

"I-I don't understand. Why would he try to kiss you? I mean, you don't like him like that right? And he's the enemy so that w-wouldn't make sense right... That... That Jerk! Where is he?!"

Lloyd turned around to see if Ryan was still around, with anger and a hint of jealousy on his face.

"Lloyd, no. It's alright, don't bother. I prevented him from kissing me before-" Raven was interrupted by Lloyd, who said,

"Really? Or is that something else your keeping from me?"

Raven was surprised by that, but then she replied,

"Lloyd, I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't lie to you."

Then Lloyd said, "But why didn't you tell us? Or at least me? I thought, I thought we had something, you know, _special_ between us."

Raven took one of his hands into her own, and said, "We do Lloyd. We do. And I would tell you everything. The only problem was that Ryan told me not to tell anyone, and to come alone."

"Well, what if that was a trick to kidnap you?" -Lloyd

"He said it wasn't-" -Raven

"How would you know?" -Lloyd

"I- I..." Raven was beginning to get flustered, which made her snake accent show, but she tried to control herself, as she said,

"I don't know okay, I don't know! I didn't want Ryan to hurt anyone if I didn't come alone, and I didn't want him to get angry if I didn't come and end up doing sssomething horrible to everyone. Although, I don't think he would of, but I didn't know before! I'm sssorry I didn't tell you. I didn't want sssomething bad to happen to anyone, and you essspecially, but I can assure you that I hold no feelingsss towards Ryan that I do for you, Lloyd."

Raven started to tear up a bit, but Lloyd didn't notice because he was looking down, thinking about what she said. Kai noticed, but he didn't want to get involved in something like this.

Then Lloyd turned around and stood looking into the fountain water.

Then he said, "I... I need time to think Raven, please."

Raven looked towards Lloyd sadly, but then a memory flashed in her mind, as she remembered a promise Lloyd made to her, and she to him. Raven quickly walked up to Lloyd, who's back was turned, and she tried to turn him around towards her.

"Lloyd, Lloyd!" Raven called, as she tugged his shoulder gently, and a little more the second time she called him.

Lloyd pulled his shoulder away gently but firmly, as he stood his ground, with his back still turned. At that point, Raven started to slowly back away, step-by-step. As she did, Raven felt her heart swell up and tear, as tears started streaming down her cheeks. Kai saw this, and even he felt a pang in this heart seeing the hurt and tears on Raven's face. Then Raven swiftly turned and ran off, as Kai followed after her, without Lloyd taking much of a notice of him.

"You think Raven is alright?" Zane asked Auria, as they hurried through the forest.

"I sure hope so," Auria replied, as they continued on their way, when they saw Garmadon running ahead of them.

"Huh?" Auria said, and then Zane said,

"What is Garmadon doing here? I thought he was back in the city?"

As Auria and Zane caught up to Garmadon, he explained that he was following Lloyd.

"I saw him run in this forest with the rest of you, so I decided to follow. I heard a crash not too far away from here, so I decided to follow the sound. It should be just beyond these trees," Garmadon said, and Zane and Auria nodded.

The three stepped past the trees, and they saw Lloyd standing near a fountain. Certain parts of the ground were burnt, cracked, broken, and iced. Auria, Zane, and Garmadon ran over to where Lloyd was.

"Lloyd, your alright." -Garmadon

"We were worried." -Zane

"Where's Raven?" -Auria

Lloyd looked slightly towards them and said. "I'm... alright, and Raven is fine. I fought Ryan and he left us alone."

"Then, where is Raven now?" Auria asked.

However, before the question was answered, the four heard footsteps, and they turned to see Kai walking towards them. His hood was off, and he looked pretty upset. Then, to everyone's surprise, especially to Lloyd, Kai punched Lloyd right in his face. Lloyd stumbled back, as Zane, Auria, and Garmadon gasped.

"Kai! What are you doing?!" Zane asked, but Kai ignored him, as he stood focused on Lloyd with fiery anger.

"Why did you say all that Lloyd?! You didn't have to be such a jerk!" Kai yelled, and Lloyd replied,

"A jerk?! Your the one who just punched me in the face! And besides, it doesn't matter anymore. I-If she likes Ryan, then... then I don't care!"

"Yes you do! Don't lie! You do care, that's why you acted the way you did! You care about her a lot! I should know, I've been making fun of you and her with Flare for awhile!" Kai said, as Lloyd looked away.

Then Kai signed and said, without yelling, "She's crying."

That caught Lloyd's attention, as he turned towards Kai, confused and concerned.

"What? Why?" Lloyd asked.

Kai replied, "You didn't see because your back was turned, but I did. I followed her when she took off. She ran to a fountain and started saying things to Pearl, like how she feels everyone's suffering is her fault, and that she should have just let herself get caught. She blames herself for everything. She's so upset... and hurt!"

Lloyd looked down, taking in what Kai just told him. He didn't realize how much pain Raven must have been enduring this whole time, having to watch as her friends fought to protect her, and how they would get hurt... like Kai when he became a vampire, Marcell who's forced to work for Silva, his mother when Silva hurt her, and even himself. He never wanted to be the source of Raven's pain. He wanted to protect her, care for her, and be there for her always. Of course, being sort of a jerk about it by accusing her of lying, and not hearing her out was pretty harsh.

_'I did act like a jerk... I didn't even consider what she's been going through...'_ Lloyd thought, as guilt began to set in.

"Lloyd," Auria said, as Lloyd looked up at her, and she continued,

"I think there's something you should know. Raven went to speak to Ryan before we got here-"

"I know that, she told me," Lloyd said.

"But, did she inform you that Ryan tried to kiss her, and she pushed him away saying that she already had someone else?" Auria asked, as Lloyd's eyes widened in surprise at those words.

Then Zane added, "Yes, it's true. Auria and I had followed Raven that night to make sure she wasn't in harm's way. We were able to hear their conversation, and to the point when Raven informed Ryan about having someone else, Ryan was able to guess that it was you, and Raven even admitted to having a growing affection for you."

Lloyd was more surprised by this, as his feelings for Raven grew stronger, knowing she felt the same for him.

Then Garmadon said, "Lloyd, when you and Raven were sitting together that day before we went to sleep, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. From what I heard of the story so far, I think I understand why Raven may have broken down here. I think it has something to do with what you said that day to Raven, about never turning..."

In that moment, a realization had struck Lloyd, as he remembered the promise Raven and him had made to each other:

("Raven. I will never turn my back on you. I will always help you no matter what. I promise." -Lloyd

"And I'll never turn my back on you either Lloyd. I promise, too." -Raven)

Lloyd felt an overbearing guilt upon his heart, as he started running with all his might to where Raven had fled to.

Garmadon, Auria, Kai, and Zane looked on, as Lloyd disappeared into the forest. Then Auria turned around and saw the others heading their way and... uh oh.

"Oh no," Auria said, as the three guys turned around.

"Hey, they finally showed up... Uuuh, who is that?" Kai asked, when he noticed a black Serpentine slithering towards them.

"The King," Auria said.

Everyone else was following him, and you could see the nervousness on their faces, as they traveled with the Viporeon King. Kai, Garmadon, Zane, and Auria watched as they approached, and King Terrin had such a stern expression that all four of them gulped and tried not to look nervous.

"What do we tell him?" Kai whispered, then Zane replied in a whisper,

"I think it's best to stall the King until Lloyd and Raven make up."

"I hope they make up soon," Garmadon whispered, as King Terrin approached the four.

"Raven!" Lloyd called out, as he ran passed the trees, searching for her.

Then he ran passed some more trees, until he saw Pearl. She was laying curled around a fountain, since it was pretty small, and sitting near the edge of the fountain was Raven, who was looking into the water. Lloyd slowly approached Raven, which made Pearl lift her head as she growled at him. He stopped walking and looked at Pearl, nervously. Then he looked down, and then back up at Pearl and said,

"Please Pearl. I want to talk to her. To make things right."

Pearl looked at Lloyd for a moment, and then she nodded and looked towards Raven. Lloyd nodded, and then he slowly approached Raven, more nervously than before.

_'W-What can I say? W-What do I do?'_ Lloyd thought, as he stopped walking.

Then he heard a grunt from Pearl, as she gestured with her claw for Lloyd to go to Raven. Then Lloyd signed and continued walking towards Raven. He walked near the edge of the fountain, about three feet away from her.

"R-Raven," Lloyd said.

Raven lifted her head, but then her head went back down, as she continued to look towards the water.

Lloyd continued, "Raven. I'm... I'm so sorry Raven. I-I overreacted. I just, I just. I really like you Raven. So much that, when I thought of Ryan trying to take you away from me, I just couldn't bear the thought of losing you... I..."

Lloyd tried to speak, but he couldn't make the words come. He rubbed the back of his head, and then he moved closer to Raven, about a foot away. Raven was still looking towards the water. Then Lloyd looked out towards the water too.

He felt regret and shame for his actions, but deep in his heart, there was a feeling that had long since been growing ever since he first met Raven. A feeling that was small, but it just continued to grow, as it became more apparent the longer time he spent with her. The feeling was powerful, but it was possible to sum it up in just three to four words.

After watching the water ripple when a leaf landed on top of it, Lloyd couldn't bear to hold it in any longer. That powerful feeling inside of his heart couldn't be hidden anymore. Lloyd looked towards Raven and cried out,

"Raven, I love you!"

At that moment, it was as if time stopped.

Pearl's eyes widened from hearing Lloyd's words. Raven was in a shock, which prevented her from reacting for the first few seconds. But then, she lifted her head and turned towards Lloyd, with tear marks still on her face. Her mouth was open in surprise, as she gazed at him, and he gazed at her. They both looked right into each other's eyes, and felt as though they could see into each other's hearts.

Unknowingly, they both slowly moved closer together until they were some inches apart. Then Raven slowly began to smile, as did Lloyd. He placed his hand on her cheek, as she took a hold of it. Raven's heart felt light and fluffy, as she felt alleved from the pain she felt a moment ago. Then Raven said,

"I forgive you, and, I love you too Lloyd!"

Lloyd felt his heart became weightless, as her words processed within his mind and straight to his heart.

Then Raven said, "I'm sorry Lloyd. I should have told you-"

Raven stopped speaking when Lloyd raised up his other hand and said,

"It's alright Raven. I understand."

Raven's smile widened, and Lloyd's did the same. Pearl felt happiness for her master, as Raven and Lloyd continued to lovingly gaze into each other's eyes.

Then Pearl heard rustling in the trees ahead. She started to growl, as Lloyd and Raven turned to see who was coming. Then a black Serpentine emerged from the forest. Raven was a little surprised, and Lloyd was bewildered. Pearl lowered her head immediately in respect for the King.

As Terrin approached Lloyd and Raven, he felt something in the atmosphere... something familiar.

"Daddy!" Raven said, as she ran and hugged her father.

Terrin embraced Raven, for the fear of losing his daughter was great, but now it ceased to nothing.

"You are sssafe my little darling," Terrin said, as he stroked Raven's hair.

"I am daddy, and it's because of Lloyd," Raven said, as she held onto her father.

Terrin looked up at Lloyd, who stood back and watched. Then, after the hug, Terrin slithered towards Lloyd.

"Lloyd," King Terrin called, as Lloyd gulped and replied,

"Yes sir?"

King Terrin put his hand on Lloyd's shoulder and said, "On behalf of all the Viporeonsss and myssself... thank you for protecting my darling daughter. You are truly worthy of the title Ultimate Ssspinjitzu Massster."

Lloyd smiled and nodded.

"Glad I could help you sir, anytime," Lloyd said.

"Call me Terrin," Terrin said, as Lloyd nodded.

Then Terrin turned around to see that the others just arrived.

"Raven! Your alright," Nya said, as she ran over to Raven, as well as Auria, Christa, and Flare.

"Hey! We were worried about you," Flare said, as she placed her hand on Raven's shoulder.

"I'm so glad to see you Raven! Your not hurt right?" Christa asked, as she looked Raven over to make sure.

"I'm fine," Raven said, as she looked towards Lloyd and added, "Thanks to Lloyd."

Everyone looked towards Lloyd.

"You actually beat Ryan?" Jay asked, and Lloyd replied,

"Well, I was able to stop him from taking Raven..."

"But you didn't defeat him," Flare said with her hand on her hip.

Lloyd rubbed the back of his head and said, "Yeah, no. I mean, we were in the middle of an attack, but Raven canceled it out. Then Ryan decided to leave us alone."

"Whoa what? _Raven_ cancelled out your attack? and Ryan's too?" Cole asked, as everyone looked towards Raven.

Raven laughed nervously and rubbed her arm.

"Interesting. Raven, how were you able to cancel out their attacks?" Sensei Wu asked.

Then Raven replied, "Well. I don't know, I just didn't want them to fight anymore, so I hit between their laser... beam... moves with my water staff, and well... it ended up canceling them out."

"Incredible," Misako said.

Raven smiled and shrugged her shoulder.

Then Garmadon said, "Well, I guess you weren't showing us your true potential before, eh Raven?"

"I didn't know I could do that," Raven said, as she held her water staff before herself.

"Hey Sensei," Kai whispered to Sensei Wu, as he turned towards him.

"You think Raven could unlock her true potential? I mean, she _does_ have an elemental weapon, kind of like the golden weapons," Kai asked.

Cole just so happened to be listening, and asked, "Now that you mention it, could _all_ of the girls unlock their true potentials? They each own an elemental weapon."

Sensei Wu thought about it, and then he whispered, "I'm not sure. Although, the platinum weapons and the golden weapons are similar, it _is_ possible that the girls could unlock their true potentials."

Zane and Jay were also hearing Sensei Wu speak, and all four guys looked towards the kunoichi.

"Alright everyone! Thissss hass been a pretty sssstimulating time, but we should really get sssome shut-eye for the ressst of the night," Terrin said.

"But what if something happens when we're asleep?" Christa asked, and Dr. Julien added,

"That's right. What if Ryan didn't come alone?"

The king thought about that, but then he said, "Do not fret. I'll handle thissss."

The king turned towards the Viporeons, who stood waiting for orders, and said,

"Anaca, ssstand in center. Serpana, take the North. Carrie, take the Sssouth. Vena, take the Wessst. Fajra, take the Eassst. Ssssend out the Viporeonsss in each area, and choose the best Viporeonssss to sssssearch out thisss foressst. I'll be around until each area is secured. Move out!"

"Yessss, your highnesssss!" The Viporeon leaders bowed, and slithered off into the forest at high speed.

The King turned to the others and said, "Go back to your roomssss. We'll be on watch."

As Terrin began slithering away, Raven ran up to her father, and said,

"Daddy... please be safe."

Terrin looked into his daughter's eyes, and smiled softly. He took Raven into his arms and they hugged once more.

Then Terrin whispered, "We'll be fine my dear. Oh, and Lloyd issss a good kid. It'ssss no wonder you like him."

Raven looked at her dad in surprise, and then she smiled and nodded, as her dad smiled back. Then he slithered off.

"Alright everybody! You heard the king. Let's go to sleep already," Flare said, as she stretched and started walking, as the others followed.

Lloyd and Raven were close to the back of the group. They looked towards one another and smiled, as they reached out and held hands. Kai noticed this and smiled, as he followed along with the others.

Christa and Cole also noticed, and they both smiled, and looked towards one another. They gazed into each other's eyes without realizing that they were, until they heard a cough, and saw that Auria stood between them, unamused. Then Christa and Cole immediately looked away, embarassed, as Auria walked a little further ahead of them. Christa slowly turned towards Cole, as he turned towards her and their eyes met. They both looked away from one another with a blush on their faces.


	23. Chapter 23 Welcome Back

Back to Ninjago city, in the desert:

Skales was leading the Serpentine back to Ouroboros. The sun had set already, but they were able to find... eh hem... steal some flashlights from hitchhikers.

They went to the center of Ouroboros. It was quiet, but something was different.

"Hm... ssssomething'sss not right," Skales said, as he looked around the arena.

"Yeah. It'ssss very dark," Skalidor said, as Acidicus smacked him over the head with a flashlight.

"Of courssse it'ssss dark, the ssssun jussst sssset," Acidicus said, as Skalidor rubbed his head.

"I'm jussst ssssaying it issss," he replied.

"Sshh, quiet you foolssss," Skales said, as he listened to hear some shifting in the sand.

He flashed his light in the direction of the sound... nothing was there. Then he heard giggling and flashed his light up to the stands... nothing there either. Then he heard something from behind landing on the sand, which all the snakes heard as they turned around. There was a person with black hair who stood there silently with their head looking down. They had medium-length brown hair, and wore black pants and a green shirt with a black, torn jacket on. The woman stood there as Skales approached her through the crowd of Serpentine.

"Hey! Who are you, and how did you get here?" Skales asked.

The woman said nothing, as she smiled.

Then Skales said, "A human issss not welcome here amongsssst usss Ssserpentine."

The woman replied, "Well, then it's a good thing I'm not human..."

"Huh?" Skales said, as he looked at the woman curiously.

Then she raised her head up and revealed her red-ringed eyes and vampire teeth. All the Serpentine gasped, as they slowly backed away.

"What issss she?" -Venomari

"Why doessss she look like that?" -Constrictai

"Issss she real?" -Hypnobrai

"Where'ssss my juice?" -Fangpyre

The vampire female slowly approached the Serpentine, like a lion towards their prey.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you soo much," the woman grinned, baring her fangs and hissing, as the Serpentine looked at her in surprise.

"What are we doing?!" Skales said, as he slithered forward and said, "There's only one of her, we have nothing to fear. We are Ssserpentine!"

The other serpentine agreed, as they stepped towards the woman. The woman just smiled and said,

"Who said _I_ was the _only_ one?"

Right after she spoke, torches suddenly lit up, as the Serpentine looked around and saw that they were surrounded by people with red-ringed eyes, and sharp, pearly-white fangs. The Serpentine gathered closer together, as their fear from moments before crept back into their spines.

As the Serpentine feared for their lives, Marcell stood not too far off in the darkness, unseen by the Serpentine. Next to her stood Pythor, who looked at his Serpentine brethern in surprise.

"So, more of your kind came," Marcell said in a calm, solemn tone.

"Well, thissss indeed issss a ssssurprisse. Last I heard, they went underground and never returned," Pythor replied.

"Hmph," was how the Vampire Queen responded, as she took a few steps forward.

"I have no use for them. I guess they'll be on the **menu** for my people," Marcell replied with a smirk.

Pythor's eyes widened, as Marcell stood with a devious smirk on her face. Then Pythor slithered next to Marcell and asked,

"Oh, well, your highnessss. I mean, these Sssserpentine are of my kind. I would abssssolutely feel dreadful if your people jusst feasssted upon their blood. Issss there not a way for them to have a purpossse under you sssso that their livesss may be ssspared?"

Marcell thought about this...and then she looked towards Pythor and said,

"Alright slick, why don't you convince those Serpentine of yours to follow under me and I will spare their lives."

Pythor nodded gratefully and said, "Yessss, thank you your majessssty."

As Pythor was about to slither away, Marcell said,

"Oh and uh, I grant you to be in charge of them, unless they disagree..."

Marcell smirked darkly and added, "than you can **join** them for dinner."

Pythor looked at Marcell in a fear and gulped when he saw her eyes glowing with red rings. Then Pythor immediately slithered forth towards the Serpentine.

"Pythor?!" The Serpentine yelled out, once they saw the large purple Anacondrai emerge from the darkness.

"What?! How are you ssstill alive?" Skales asked in shock.

Pythor just smirked and slowly approached the Serpentine, passing by the vampire brigade.

"Well my friendssss," he said, as he raised his arms up.

"I've been living in ssssolitude lately after the Great Devourer wassss defeated. I came to realize what a misstake it wasss to sssummon forth that creature without acknowledging it'ss truly terrifing power, and ssssize. Sso I wish to reconcil with you Ssserpentine, and for you all to once again make me your King ssso that we may live alongssside the Vampiressss in peace."

The Serpentine whispered amongst themselves, as Skales stood forward and said,

"Are you kidding me? You nearly got ussss all devoured lassst time. You are a foolish leader who nearly led usss to our demisse. There isss no way we're going to follow you. Bessidess, I'm the king now!"

The other Serpentine began to whisper amongst themselves again.

"Well, I hope you realize..." Pythor slithered closer to the Serpentine and looked off to the side to see Marcell's piercing red eyes, eager to see what happens next.

Then Pythor whispered, "If you don't make me your king and follow under the Vampire Queen, she'll sssserve usss assss dinner for all the other vampiresss!"

The Serpentine's eyes widened, as some of them gasped and others almost fainted.

"Are you joking? Dinner?" Skales asked in disgust, as Pythor nodded.

"Look, I don't want to get on her bad sssside, it wasss only by chanccce she let me live becausse I agreed to ssserve her. I even asked if she would sssspare all _your_ livess, or she would've let her people finish you all off!"

The Serpentine looked at one another in fear. Then Pythor straightened up and asked,

"Well, have we come to an agreement, or do you all wish to be vampire food?"

The Serpentine looked towards Skales, who signed in defeat. He removed his crown off his head, as he looked around at the numerous red-ringed eyes surrounding them. Then he stood in front of Pythor and bowed holding the crown up while saying,

"All hail Pythor, King of the Ssserpentine!"

The other Serpentine bowed and said the same thing, "All hail Pythor, King of the Ssserpentine!"

Pythor smiled in triumph, as he took the crown and placed it on his head. He turned towards Marcell, as she emerged from the darkness. The other Serpentine were surprised to see Marcell. They also noticed a small crown on her head of gold with blue and pink gems aligned across the top, with one large white, oval-shaped gem in the center. She stood before them with a stern expression, and her hands behind her back. Then Pythor turned to Marcell and bowed as he said,

"All hail Marcell, the Queen of the Vampiressss!"

The Serpentine followed their new/old king, as they all bowed as well and said the same thing. Skales just stood looking at Marcell as she smirked at him and growled baring her fangs. Skales jumped back, as he immediately bowed and quickly said,

"All hail Marcell, the Queen of the Vampiressss!"

Marcell looked at all the Serpentine with her hands still behind her back, as she smirked darkly and thought,

_'Oh, now I____**really**__can't wait until I show the Viporeons... but first, I have a call to make...'_

Now, back to the Ninja of Awesomeness:

The next day, many of the ninja tried to sleep in, until Sensei was able to ring a large gong that a Viporeon rolled over to him.

"Come on everyone! Wake up! Just because Ryan broke in yesterday doesn't mean you can sleep in! It just means we should definantly train harder!" Sensei yelled out.

He chuckled, as he heard the moans and groans of the ninja as they woke up. Apparently, Sensei was standing between the buildings where everyone was sleeping so it wasn't like they could ignore him. The guys woke up and started getting ready. Most of the girls were up already, except Flare and Christa, who both jumped when they heard the gong, and they signed when they heard Sensei Wu's voice.

"Where on Earth did he get that gong?" Flare asked, as she stepped out of her room fully dressed, as she approached the other girls, who were all dressed and ready in the hall.

"Probably a Viporeon had one. You know they have almost everything for some reason," Christa said, as she stretched her arms upward.

"Come on, let's meet the others," Misako said, as the other girls followed her, except Raven who actually stood up in the castle in her room to sleep.

As the girls exited the guest house, the boys also exited the guest house they stood in. They all decided to walk to the front of the castle doors to wait for Raven and King Terrin to come down. Of course, Sensei took this opportunity to make the ninja do morning stretches and warm-ups.

Up within the castle, King Terrin and Raven were descending the stairways down to meet the Ninja crew.

"Um, daddy?" Raven asked, and her father replied, "Yes, my child?"

Raven thought for a moment before speaking,

"Daddy, um, before we came here... Sensei Wu told me about a dream he had."

Terrin looked towards his daughter with interest, as he said "Go on."

Raven pushed her hair back, as she told her father about the vision,

"He said that he saw a room with a candle lit in the center. It was very small, but then it started to grow bigger and brighter. Then he saw me and Lloyd dancing under a spot light. After that, he saw me backed up against a wall as a darkness was creeping towards me, and I was screaming out to the darkness to stay away. Then the last part showed me laying on the floor unconscious, and Lloyd was trying to protect me from a hooded person surrounded by darkness. The hooded person was holding the Viporeon pearl, but the pearl was a pale purple and it wasn't glowing."

Raven looked towards her father, as he was looking down, trying to decipher what his daughter had just told him.

Then Raven asked, "Dad, what do you think it means?"

Terrin stood silent while he pondered this awhile longer. Then he looked at Raven and said,

"Well, the candle and fire growing may represent how your bond with Lloyd is growing since you two were dancing together right after that part. Hm... the next part disturbs me though. You seem to be in trouble in the third part, and the last part..."

Terrin became a little more stiffened when he thought about the next part. Raven noticed, but she stood silent as her father continued to speak,

"The last part bothers me since you seem injured, and Lloyd is in trouble as well at that point. The Viporeon Pearl also disturbs me, especially in the hands of the enemy. Truly troubling."

Then Terrin placed his hand on his chin.

"I wonder what connection this hooded person has with the pearl, but for the pearl not to glow than that means that..."

Terrin became silent, as Raven tilted her head to the side and asked,

"Daddy?"

Terrin signed, and said, "We have a certain bond to the pearl Raven. I noticed thissss especially with you, after you were born... The pearl hassss a connection to your well-being Raven, and if the pearl'sss light is going out..."

"Then so is my light," Raven said, completing Terrin's sentence.

Terrin looked towards his daughter sadly, as Raven looked down, taking in this information.

"Raven," Terrin said and continued, "If thissss vision provessss true, then-"

"That will not happen papa!" Raven said, as Terrin's eyes widened.

Raven looked right into her father's eyes with a fiery determination.

_'Reine... she has your eyes...'_ Terrin thought of his wife, and then Raven said,

"Dad, for some reason these people are after me. They want to snuff out my light for some reason... but then, there has to be a reason right? Why they would go through so much trouble-"

"To chasse a child across the world unless she had ssssomething powerful to show," Terrin finished off her sentence.

Raven nodded and said, "Daddy, I know you want me to be safe no matter what, but I can't hide forever. More people will get hurt if they try to help me hide, and... if these dark people want my light..."

Raven walked towards a window before continuing,

"Then they'll have to fight me for it, and I won't let them take it, ever!"

Terrin thought about that, then he smirked and walked next to his daughter. He put his hand on her shoulder, as she looked up at him.

Then Terrin said, "Raven, I know you can do it, and you won't have to fight alone. We'll all fight with you... My light, your light, and their light."

Terrin pointed out the window towards where the Ninja crew were gathered.

"We'll all lend you our power to fight thesse dark people, and..."

Terrin started walking back towards the staircase, as Raven followed behind him.

"You could all use some more training."

Raven looked towards her dad and smiled, as he smiled back.

As King Terrin and Raven exited the castle and headed towards the ninja near the fountain, the ninja and the rest of the crew stood up and looked at the King and the Princess heading over towards them.

"Good morning your majesties," Flare said, as she bowed her head before the king, and the others did as well.

"Yes, good morning to all of you. So, are you all ready to train?" Terrin asked.

Everyone looked at the King a little confused.

"Wait, training?" Jay asked, as the ninja looked towards Sensei Wu, who shrugged his shoulders.

"Yes, my dad said it's ok for us to train here. Especially for the secret meeting, remember?" Raven said.

The five male ninja were confused at first, then Flare stood in front of them and said,

"Hello? Remember? Lloyd got the message from Ryan when he first met him."

Four of the boys remembered that time... except Jay who asked, "When was that?"

Flare just stood looking at Jay sternly... very sternly, until Jay took a step back and held his hands up as he said,

"I'm just kidding, y-you know. Of course I remember! We all had to run though the forest, and the flyer had the tickets with it."

"Speaking of which, where are the tickets?" Cole asked, as Misako flipped out two golden tickets from her pocket and said, reassuringly,

"Don't worry, I've been keeping them safe, just in case."

"Yeah, one ticket, four people each. So we have to decide who goes and who stays behind with the Bounty, you know, in case we have to make a quick getaway," Kai said, as everyone started to think about it.

"We still have some time to think about that," Sensei Wu said, and then he continued, "For now, let us train here until the time comes to attend the meeting."

The others looked towards each other, nodded, and then they looked towards Sensei Wu and nodded once more. Then, just as Terrin began leading the way to the arena, a hissing sound was heard as well as footsteps and a yell.

"Your majesssty. Your Majesssty! There issss an intruder!" A Hypnobrai Viporeon called out, as she ran and stopped before the king, trying to catch her breathe.

"Where?" Terrin asked, and the Viporeon answered,

"In the arena. They have been apprehended, though they wish to sssspeak to you, they ssssay they bring a messsssage."

Terrin thought about that, and then he looked towards the Ninja crew, who looked towards the king to lead them on. Then Terrin turned towards the Viporeon and said,

"Lead the way."

With that, they all began hurrying towards the arena.

**Uh oh... Who is the intruder? Friend or Foe? Find out next chapter. **


	24. Chapter 24 Let's Get Started

In the center of the arena, there stood a woman surrounded by Viporeons. They hissed and growled and whispered to one another cautiously, as the woman scanned her surroundings. She wasn't sure what they were going to do, but she kept a level-head. She stood still, only her eyes slowly shifted around, along with her head. The woman didn't want to alert the Viporeons in any way, since she was on their turf. Then her attention came towards figures heading their way. As they grew closer, she noticed a man of Serpentine power approaching with a group of others, most of whom she recognized.

As she stood in place, she cracked a small smile that was rarely visible to the naked eye.

When the King and Ninja crew finally approached the woman, the ninja recognized her almost immediately, especially Kai who said,

"Wait a minute, it's YOU! Your that woman from the alley! The Vampire General! Your the reason I got bitten in the first place!"

Everyone gasped. The other ninja guys recognized Violet and went on guard, while the Viporeons went on guard as well. Violet just looked at everyone with a blank expression, as if she was bored. Then she signed and spoke,

"Yes, I am the same vampire you've met before, but I'm not here to fight. I have an important message to give. It's best that you all listen."

Then Jay asked, "Oh, and why should we listen to you?!"

"Yeah! We _all_ almost became vampires!" Cole added.

Violet just signed and said, "Okay, listen. I'm sure you all haven't had a very good outlook on vampires-"

"That's for sure," Flare said, as Auria nudged her.

"Yes, I know you don't," Violet said, as she continued, "I do apologize for our past actions. We were just following orders, but now we wish to make amends. Although, it's difficult since Princess Lucy is still held in Silva's custody. However, Marcell sent me here to be her informant, and to assist you all in your endeavors, confidential of course."

"So, your here to help us and Marcell," Christa said, and Violet nodded.

"But in secret, so that Silva doesn't know," Auria added, and Violet nodded again.

"This might be a trap," Kai said, ans Flare replied,

"Awww, is Kai scared of becoming a vampire punk again?"

Kai turned to Flare with a stern expression of annoyance that made her smirk.

Then Sensei Wu said, "Hm... Marcell has proven to us before that we could trust her..."

Sensei walked up to Violet and said, "For now, I believe you, but that doesn't mean we won't be keeping an eye on you, Violet."

Violet looked around, as she saw that everyone was staring at her. Then she put her hands together and bowed, as she said,

"I will honor your decision, thank you."

After this, Sensei turned and walked away, as the other ninja stood in front of him.

"Are you sure we can trust her Sensei?" Cole asked, and Sensei Wu answered,

"We need all the help we can get, and her knowledge may prove useful for us as it did with Flare."

"Oh man! I don't think I'll be able to_sleep_ knowing there's a blood-sucking vampire nearby," Jay said, shakened, and Terrin replied,

"Oh don't worry young Lightening Master. I don't sense that Violet is a threat in this case, especially since we're all watching her. You have nothing to fear, for now maybe."

Terrin said this with a smirk, as he walked away to speak with the Viporeons. Jay was still thinking about what he said, and the last part made him nervous.

Then Raven approached Violet and asked, "How's Marcell been doing?"

Violet looked at Raven slightly sad and said, "She hasn't been doing well since she returned to us. The news of Lucy's capture has affected all the vampires harshly, especially Marcell. She has been on edge lately, and her calm, charismatic behavior has changed to an agitated and intimidating one. Although she's actually very worried, she doesn't let the others see."

"How would you know then?" Raven asked, and Violet replied,

"Marcell trusts a select number of us to know her true feelings, and I believe she would trust you too."

Raven nodded, as she extended her hand towards Violet and said, "Then let's help each other out. For Marcell, and for the vampires."

Violet looked at Raven's hand, and then she took it and nodded, as she said,

"Very well, let's work together."

After seeing this, the others felt a little more relaxed having Violet around.

"Ok Violet, what information do you have for us?" Misako asked.

At this point, the Ninja crew, along with King Terrin, stood together around some tables and chairs near the outer edge of the arena.

"Well," Violet said, as she pulled out a laptop from her black backpack she was carrying and opened it up on the table.

"Marcell has been busy lately trying to figure out Silva's plans without being too interested and catching her attention in any way. However, it has proven difficult to get much information. Especially when the Serpentine decided to stop by."

Now this caught everyone's attention.

"Wait, the Serpentine? How?" Nya asked, as Violet continued,

"We've been staying at the Lost City of Ouroborus for a while, until Silva gives us her orders. First, one of them came alone, and then the others came later, as Marcell told me over the phone not too long ago. Not even the Serpentine know who opened the door underground for them to escape."

The others looked at each other thinking.

Then Garmadon asked, "You said one of them came alone, which one?"

"A tall serpentine, of purple scales... called himself Pythor," Violet replied.

"WHAT?!" The others were in shock, except for the four kunoichi, King Terrin, and Violet, who didn't know what was wrong.

"Wa-wait, WHAT?! He's alive?!" Jay asked, shocked.

"I thought the Great Devourer took care of him!" Cole said.

"How did he survive?" Kai asked in surprised .

"It must have been similar to how Sensei Wu survived within the Great Devourer," Zane said, in a sort of panik.

"Not him again..." Lloyd said, as he shook his head.

"Everyone, calm down," Sensei Wu said, calmly.

"He's right. Even though Pythor has returned, I don't think the Serpentine will just accept him as their leader from what happened with the Great Devourer," Misako said, as Violet responded,

"Actually, he's their king now, under Marcell."

A few others gasped, as Jay said, "Are you kidding me?!"

"No," Violet said nonchalantly, as she started typing on her laptop.

"What are we going to do? If the Serpentine are working for Marcell, then their working for Silva too," Cole said.

"Well, there's nothing we can really do, unless we find out where Lucy is and free her from Silva's capture," Garmadon said.

"Yes. If we find Lucy, then Marcell will have no reason to work for Silva anymore," Dr. Julien said, as Christa responded,

"True, but we don't even know where Silva is keeping Lucy, and even if we did, it could be very dangerous."

"That's right. We're dealing with Silva. She wouldn't make it easy," Auria added.

"Well then, what do we do? We can't just sit back and do nothing," Lloyd said.

For a moment, no one said anything, until one person spoke.

"Well, what _can_ you do?"

Everyone turned and saw that it was King Terrin who spoke, with his arms crossed.

"What do you mean daddy?" Raven asked, as her father continued,

"As I can see it, Lucy is no where to be found, and to gain Marcell's compliance we need to find her. Silva is the only one who would know where Lucy is being held, and probably a few of her most trusted allies, but they most likely won't tell us anything. Our best bet to find out where Lucy is, is to attend the evil meeting in a few weeks from now. That would be the closest you can get to Silva."

As the others pondered this, Sensei Wu asked, "But the evil meeting is for us to figure out Silva's plans, how would that lead us to finding Lucy?"

Terrin smirked, as he pointed to himself and said, "I'll find out where Lucy is while Silva is hosting the meeting. I'll send a few Viporeons to search out the vehicle Silva may use to get there for clues. The rest of you who are attending the meeting could mingle with the other guests to find out what you can about her plan. It's our best bet."

The others looked towards one another and nodded.

"That's our best bet. If we all pull together, we'll be able to find out Silva's plans _and_ find out where Lucy is being held," Lloyd said, as the others agreed.

"Of course, your going to need some help when it comes to villian clothes," Violet said, as she turned her laptop towards the others.

The screen showed a store that sold villian attire for all kinds of villians.

"I know some people and sweet deals when it comes to this," Violet said.

"Your gonna need more than clothes if your going to that evil meeting. The Bounty needs some work too," Flare said.

"We also need to learn the mannerism of evil-doers," Auria said.

Then Garmadon said, "I may not be evil anymore, but I know a thing or two when it comes to acting like it."

"Then it's all settled," Sensei Wu said and continued, "Let us prepare for this evil meeting to the best of our abilities. We must be ready to attend _and_ to make a quick getaway if necessary."

"Yeah, but I have one question," Jay said.

"Yes, what is it Jay?" Sensei Wu asked.

"Who's actually _going_ to the meeting?" Jay asked.

Everyone just looked at one another in silence at this point.

Outside of Fountain falls, two figures were walking towards the entrance.

"Oh man, how far is this place Tempara?" The brown ninja Dareth asked, as he tried to catch his breath.

Then Tempara said, "We're here actually."

The Viporeon walked across the waist high water to the bird statue that stood on the lake. She touched the bird's beak as it glowed and opened the secret stairway.

"Whoa!" Dareth said, as the passage opened, and the Viporeon jumped down on the staircase.

"Come on, let'ssss go," Tempara said, as she walked down the hidden stairway.

Dareth looked around real quick kind of nervous, and then he ran down the stairs after Tempara, as he yelled out,

"Hey! Wait for me!"

As he ran in, the staircase closed behind him. Tempara and Dareth continued to walk until they finally made it to the city of Fountain falls.

"Oh wow! This place is _way_ bigger than I thought," Dareth said, as he clinged to the ledge and looked down at the slide drop.

"Come on Dareth!" Tempara said, as she grabbed his arm and jumped down the slide.

"Wait but- AAAHHHH!"

They both landed in the water with a pretty big splash. Then Tempara pulled Dareth up on the edge of the land. Dareth was coughing up some water, which wasn't life threatening to him, he was just surprised at how fast the slide was.

"Are you alright?" Tempara asked, as Dareth raised his hand up and gained his composure.

"I'm perfectly fine my snake-like friend. A little water means nothing to the Brown ninja."

Tempara smiled, as she looked at the Brown ninja posing.

"Well, I am impressed that you survived this whole journey. You are truly an amazing ninja," Tempara said.

Dareth blushed a bit and said, "Oh please, your too kind, Tempara, really."

Then Tempara looked and grabbed Dareth by the arm, as she dragged him along to her leader, Carrie, who was slithering by.

"Carrie, Carrie! I have returned with a friend!" Tempara called out.

Carrie looked and saw Tempara running towards her with another person. She was surprised.

"Tempara! I was wondering where you were. We went to look for you, but you were no where to be found. The last ssssearch party we ssssssent isssss ssssstill looking," Carrie said.

Tempara stood in front of Carrie and said, "I have been trying to get home. I got losssst in Ninjago city and ended up in an underground place. I presssssed ssssome button that opened a door, and the Sssserpentine malesss came forth. Then they left and I met the Brown ninja, who brought me home."

Carrie was shocked, "What?! The MALE Sssserpentine?! They roam Ninjago?"

Then Tempara said, "I didn't realize they were behind the door, and then they left to Ouroborussss to regroup I guesssss."

Carrie grabbed Tempara's arm and said, "You musssst report thissss to the King at once!"

Carrie dragged Tempara and Dareth to the arena where the others were.

"Dark Machine." -Jay

"Nightmare Ride." -Cole

"Uh, Dark Ship?" -Zane

"No, Grim Reaper." Kai

"No, Dead Reaper." Flare.

"How about Dead Rider?" -Christa

"Or Grim Rider?" -Raven

"Grim Glider?" -Lloyd

The others stood silent thinking about it.

"That's perfect," Auria said, as the others agreed and nodded.

"Okay, so the Bounty will be called 'Grim Glider' for the evil meeting," Nya said, as she wrote the name down.

"Okay, we got the name, now we need to decide who goes," Cole said.

The others thought about it, and then Christa said,

"Well, eight people can go so, who wants to go?"

There was a short silence, until Raven said,

"I'll go."

Everyone looked towards her, and Auria asked,

"Are you sure Raven? If you go, you could be endangering your safety."

"Or make it easier for Silva to capture ya," Flare said.

"She's right. Maybe you shouldn't go," Misako said, but Raven replied,

"I must go! If Silva wants to capture me, I must know why, no matter what. Also, if anything goes wrong, I can be bait while the rest of you make a run for it."

"Raven! You are NOT going to be bait, because nothing will go wrong," Christa said and continued, "I'll go with you Raven. To keep you safe."

Then Christa turned towards the others and asked, "Who else is coming?"

"I'll go." Lloyd

"I''ll come." -Cole

"Count me in." Kai

"I shall attend." -Auria

"I will join too." -Zane

"And I will attend this meeting, as well." -Sensei Wu

"Are you sure Sensei? I mean, I'm not sure you can even act evil you kno- OW!" Kai said, as Sensei Wu smacked him over the head with his stick.

"I can assure you, that I will easily blend in with the other evil-doers, and I will make sure you all can do the same. Besides... "

Sensei Wu walked a few steps with his back turned, as the others looked at him. Then he turned around with a stern and dark expression that made the others nervous until he smiled and said,

"Acting is fun!"

The others signed in a relief to see Sensei Wu with a normal face, as he laughed at his students.

"You wouldn't want to go? I don't mean to say anything objective, but you know more about being evil than they do," Misako asked Garmadon, and he replied,

"I've been evil long enough Misako. I wouldn't want to take that path again, even if it's acting."

Misako nodded in understanding.

Then Dr. Julien called out, "Hey, everyone! Carrie is here and she said it's urgent! She also brought with her a Viporeon and the Brown ninja!"

"Heh heh, the Brown ninja..." Jay said, and then all the ninja guys yelled,

"THE BROWN NINJA?!"

As they all ran towards Dr. Julien, the kunoichi were confused as they followed after them.

"Your majessssty. Tempara hassss returned, and she bringssss dire news," Carrie said, as she stood before King Terrin with Tempara and Dareth behind her.

Before another word was spoken, all the ninja and everyone else had come together.

"Oh hey guys! What are all of you doing here?" Dareth asked, as the others stood before him.

"What are you doing here? How did you even get here?" Kai asked, surprised, and then Dareth replied...dramatically,

"I was taking my regular patrol of Ninjago city, when I found this lone Viporeon in need of some assistance. So, being the Brown Ninja, and being a brave and powerful warrior that I am, I decided to help her return home to, uh, Fountain Falls, so that she can return to her family."

"You actually made it all the way over here? Without a vehicle?" Jay asked.

Then Tempara replied, "Actually we hitched a few rides or snuck on some of them, but we eventually made it here. It's all thanks to Dareth, I mean, the Brown Ninja, that I was able to return home."

"She probably would've been lost and cold without my help," Dareth said, as he posed sadly.

Then Tempara whispered, "He got lost a few times really."

The other ninja nodded and Cole said, "Sounds just like Dareth."

"You mean, the Brown ninja," Jay said, as the guys chuckled.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Dareth asked.

"Your majesssty, the Sssserpentine have returned. They went to Ouroborussss asssss Tempara had told me," Carrie said, as everyone listened.

"I am aware of the Sssserpentine's whereabouts. Marcell hasss them under her order. There is no need to worry," King Terrin said.

Then Tempara asked, "So you know that I accidently pressed the button to release them?"

The King's eyes widened, as the others did as well. Then Tempara became nervous and said,

"I'm sssorry, I-I didn't know..."

The King signed and said, "It's alright Tempara, at leassst your home now."

Then Terrin turned to Dareth and said, "Thank you for bringing Tempara back home. If there isss anything I can do to repay you..."

Dareth snorted and said, "Eh, it's no problema your majesty. It's all in a day's... well, few days work."

Then Dareth thought for a moment.

"Wait. Your a King?" Dareth asked, and Terrin nodded.

Then Dareth scratched his chin and said, "Then in that case-"

"DARETH!" The others yelled out, as Dareth jumped, and quickly said.

"Uh, it's really no problem your highness."

Terrin just shook his head and smiled.

"Well, I'm sure your weary from your travelsss. You may rest here as long as you'd like until your ready to go home," Terrin said.

Dareth nodded and bowed to the King, respectfully.

"Hey guys, I got a deal here for who ever is going to the meeting," Violet said, as she walked over to the others with her laptop and set it on a table nearby.

When Dareth saw Violet, his eyes widened and he gasped.

"Oh my..." Dareth said, as he continued to observe Violet:

Her hair was blowing in the breeze, her eyes glistening in the bright gem lights of the cave, her skin glowing like gold, and her clothes softly shifting in the wind. To Dareth, she was all of this and even more.

_'The most... beautiful...'_ Dareth thought, as he continued to gawk at Violet.

"Uh, Dareth? Are you alright?" Jay asked, but Dareth just raised his hand at Jay so that he would stop talking.

Then Dareth asked, "Who is she?"

The others looked towards Violet, who was busy looking at her laptop, and then they looked back at Dareth.

"That's Violet. She's the Vampire general," Christa replied, although Dareth focused more on her name.

"Violet... she's beautiful. Just as good looking as I am," Dareth said.

"She's the _Vampire general_, lover boy," Flare said, as Kai quickly looked over at her in surprise because he's use to her calling _him_ names, and it kind of... bothered him.

"Yeah... wait, the Vampire general?" Dareth asked, as he looked towards the kunoichi and they nodded.

Then Dareth jumped back and said, "Wait... who are you people?!"

Dareth pointed towards the kunoichi, who just looked at him and each other.

Then Cole said, "Oh yeah, you haven't met the other half of our team."

Then Zane said, "Yes, these girls are also ninja. Kunoichi, to be exact. Auria and Christa are princesses of Aeroplane the floating lands, Flare is princess of the Volcanic lands, and Raven is princess of this land Fountain Falls. Also, Violet is the Vampire general under Vampire Queen Marcell."

Dareth took a moment to process all this... okay he took a while, so the ninja decided to explain to him what was going on, and to especially keep his mouth shut when it comes to Violet.

Dareth agreed and said, "Don't worry my friends, I, Dareth, will do what I can to help all of you in your quest, and to protect Princess Raven from any harm."

The ninja and kunoichi nodded towards Dareth, and then he turned and stood in front of Violet. Violet turned towards Dareth with a calm expression, as he bowed on one knee and held one of her hands and said,

"And I will protect you as well, dear Violet. Then maybe we can go to dinner, get to know each other better- OW!"

Violet pulled her hand back and whipped Dareth over the head with her back-hand.

"I can understand why you would want to protect me, and it may be beneficial if we could get along, but _don't_ get any ideas, honey. I'm the Vampire General for a **reason**," Violet said, as she brushed her hair back and took her laptop with her to another table.

Dareth stood up while rubbing his head, and without Violet hearing, he said,

"-sign- She's wonderful."

The others just either looked at one another surprised, or they shook their heads.

"Anyway," Flare said and continued, "Let's get training already!"

"So, are you all ready?" Terrin said, as the Viporeons stood behind him.

The Ninja crew stood together and nodded.

Then Lloyd said, "Alright. Let's get training."


	25. Chapter 25 The Princesses of Aeroplane

For the next few weeks until the Secret evil meeting, the Ninja crew all trained together at Fountain Falls. They trained in combat, sneaking, acting, and reacting. Also, they were able to get to know each other better. Let's peer into some times between the Ninja crew. It'll be broken into a few chapters for convenience:

After the next training session had ended for the day, the ninja and kunoichi decided to just hang around Fountain falls. Particularly, Auria was in the forest of Fountian Falls on a tree. The tree had wooden planks that stuck out of it and spiraled around the tree like stairs, to a tree house that was a small room with a balcony.

On that specific day, Auria was much quieter than usual. She wasn't very into the training, and Christa already knew the reason why. Christa was also uneasy and distant from the others as well. Zane and Cole took notice to the sisters' behaviors and wondered what was on their minds. Cole decided to ask Raven what was wrong with Christa, and Raven said,

"Well, something happened years ago from today, and it makes Auria kind of sad to think about it, which makes Christa sad too... I'm sure if you ask Christa she might tell you the whole story."

Cole was a little confused, but after training, he went to talk to Christa on one of the rooftops. She was looking up at the crystals on the cave ceiling, when Cole jumped onto the roof to speak with her.

"Hey Christa," Cole said, as she turned towards him and gave a half-hearted smile.

"Hey," was all Christa said, as she looked away.

"What's the matter? You seemed out of it during training, and even now," Cole asked, and Christa looked up at him, but then she looked away again, and said,

"It's just... something happened before, and it's just hard to think about."

Cole walked closer to Christa, as he placed his hand gently on her shoulder and said,

"Well, I'm sure if you talk about it, you might feel better."

Christa looked up at Cole, and she signed and said, "Okay. Let's sit."

Then Christa sat on the floor, as did Cole, and began,

"Years ago, when I was young, my parents, Auria, and I went down from Aeroplane to land below so that we could see the world below us. Well, they were mostly showing me because Auria was older, and she was already taken down. So after we traveled around for awhile, we were returning home, which was a mountainous path. You would have seen it if Pearl didn't lead us another way. Any hoo, I was standing about a foot away from the cliff, looking over at the land and beyond. My mother told me to be careful, so I made sure I didn't take another step forward. However, I felt a shift in the ground, so I put my hand to floor, trying to feel what it was. Suddenly I heard a loud crack. Before I knew it, the part of the cliff I was standing on broke away from the rest of it. I was scared because I didn't know what was happening..."

Christa didn't speak for a little bit, and then she continued,

"Then I felt someone grab me, and when I looked, it was Auria. She jumped down to where I was as the cliff part we were on started to crumble. She threw me up towards our parents so that I wouldn't fall... but then... she ended up falling instead..."

Christa started to tear up, as she continued,

"She fell... My dad slid down the wall to get Auria, while my mom called Aeroplane paramedics. I screamed out for Auria, and started to cry while my mom tried to keep me calm. Then the paramedics came and drove a medic aerocar down and then up the cliff, with my sister and dad inside..."

"How far down was that the cliff?" Cole asked, almost fearing the answer.

"More then ten stories at least, but it was hard to tell since there was a natural fog below," Christa replied.

Cole nodded slowly, and then Christa continued,

"She was brought to the hospital, and the doctor said -sniffle- that Auria w-wasn't going to make it..."

Tears began to flow from Christa's eyes the more she thought about it, as Cole placed his arm around her shoulders.

_'Aw man... should I have asked? I didn't think it was __**this**__deep...'_ Cole thought, and then he said,

"Christa, you don't have to say anymore if it hurts too mu-"

"No. I must. I can't hold it in any longer," Christa said, as she wiped the tears from her eyes and continued,

"So, my mother called Queen Malentha and Queen Reine to see what they thought about Auria's condition. She was in critcal condition, but Sensei Reine thought of an idea..."

"Raven's mom?" Cole asked, as Christa nodded and continued,

"Yes, Raven's mother. She thought of an idea of how to save my sister's life. Malentha thought about it, as well as the Viporeon leaders since they came with Sensei Reine, and they realized that there was no other alternative. They went right to work on the surgery and procedure."

Cole looked questionably at Christa.

"What kind of procedure?" he asked, and Christa replied with a question,

"Cole, how old do you think Auria is?"

Cole thought about it, and he replied, "She looks around your age."

Christa tilted her head to the side, with one eye-brow raised, which made Cole think more about it,

_'Why is she looking at me like that? Auria and Christa look around the same age... wait,_ _hold on...__Christa was a kid when that happened, and Auria was older because__she already saw the land below Aeroplane. Wait a minute...'_

Cole looked firmly at Christa and asked, "How old is she?"

Christa replied, "Auria looks the same age now, as she did back then when she fell. Her appearance hasn't changed since then."

Cole's eyes widened, as he asked, "Whoa what?! If she looks exactly the same then and now, then what did Raven's mother do?"

Christa replied, "My sister's body was heavily damaged from the fall so, Sensei Reine decided that they had to engineer and replace a lot of her living tissue with mechanical parts. So, in fact, Auria became-"

"A NINDROID?!" Cole yelled out, as Christa's eyes widened in surprise.

Cole noticed Christa's confusion, which made him realize that she didn't know what a nindroid was.

Cole rubbed the back of his head and said, "Oh, um, sorry. The thing is, Zane is actually a nindroid and since you said that Auria was 'engineered' and all. But I guess if Auria was already alive then that makes her more of a cyborg, I think."

"Wait, hold on. Zane... is a robotic ninja?" Christa asked in amazement, and Cole explained Zane's story to her.

"Oh my gosh... so he's a nindroid, and Auria is a cyborg. They're both robotic... then, she's not alone," Christa said, as Cole looked at her curiously from her last words.

Then Christa smiled and looked at Cole and said,

"She's not alone!"

Christa hugged Cole and said, "Oh Cole thank you! Thank you!"

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, as Cole blushed a vivid red. Then Christa stood up and grabbed Cole by his arm, as she dragged him to where she knew Auria was going to be. Cole was still blushing, as he was yelling out to Christa to stop dragging him, but she kept going, so he followed her.

Back to Auria, she stood on the treehouse looking out around the forest since the tree was pretty tall. Then she heard footsteps and turned to see Zane coming up the wooden stairs.

"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked, as Auria replied,

"I don't mind."

Zane walked next to Auria, but he kept a foot distance away to give her some space. Then Zane asked,

"You seem troubled today. Is there something wrong?"

There was silence for a while, until Auria finally said,

"Today was the day I was rebuilt."

Zane's eyes widened, and he asked, "W-What do you mean?"

Auria clarified, "Well, I was born as any other person, but on this day, many years ago, I was turned into something else. I had fallen off a cliff in an attempt to save my sister's life from certain peril. I was able to throw her to our parents' arms in time so that she would be safe, and so that my parents wouldn't try to jump down and end up risking their lives too. I fell down a considerable amount of feet and was nearly crushed by the rocks that had fallen off the cliff after me. I was sent to the Aeroplane hospital, where my life was said to end soon. No one knew that I regained consciousness in the hospital when the doctors said I wouldn't make it, but I felt such... sorrow... to see my family's hearts breaking when they heard the news, my parents especially. But then... Sensei Reine came over, and gave a suggestion that ended up saving my life."

Auria looked down, and Zane asked,

"What did Sensei Reine do?"

Then Auria replied, "Sensei Reine said that it would be better if most of my organic tissue was replaced with mechanical engineering of the sort, since my living tissue was diminishing. In other words, I became..."

"A cyborg," Zane said, as Auria looked at him and nodded.

"Yes. How did you know?" Auria asked.

Zane replied, "Because... you're not the only one who was formed with mechanical parts. Although, you were already a living person constructed into a cyborg, I was created by my father many years ago from scratch. I am what Jay refers to as a nindroid."

Auria's eyes widened, as Zane clarified. "You see, my brothers and I were following a falcon that usually brought us good fortune. I was able to complete the journey first, which led me to a secret lab in the base of a tree. I eventually found the blue prints of my falcon's design, and of my own. After the other guys had come and gone, I realized that I had a memory switch. When I turned it on, that's when I remembered my father and how I came to be."

After Zane finished, he and Auria stood looking at each other. They both never saw another mechanical being before, so they were stunned by this new discovery.

Then Auria said, "So, that's what I felt, what we felt before."

"Yes, that special feeling," Zane said, as he stepped closer to Auria and she stepped closer to him. Then Auria smiled a little and said,

"I always felt so alone. At first, it wasn't so bad because then I could protect my family and my people, but then I realized that I would out-live everyone else... Also, no one can understand how it is to be a cyborg, or similar in anyway... I felt so alone, especially today."

Auria looked away a little sad. Then Zane put his hand under Auria's chin and made her look up at him. Zane smiled and said,

"But Auria, you'll never be alone. Even when everyone passes away, and although it will be sad, they will always live on in your heart, and mind. Also, I'll be with you too at that time, so we both won't feel so lonely."

Auria's eyes lit up after Zane spoke. She smiled, as Zane smiled back. Then Auria hugged Zane, which she doesn't really hug all that much, usually her family and friends hug her. Zane was surprised by her sudden movement, but then he hugged her back, as he felt her tears seep through his shirt. Zane stroked her hair, and Auria held him tighter. Then, after realizing how close they were, Zane and Auria pulled away from one another, as Auria rubbed her arm and Zane rubbed the back of his head. They were both blushing, and Zane said,

"I f-feel heat in my cheeks, l-like if they're on fire."

Auria chuckled and said, "It's called 'blushing,' and it's something I haven't felt in a long time."

Auria and Zane looked at each other and smiled. Then they heard a voice,

"HEY AURIA!"

Zane and Auria looked off the railing of the half tree house, and they saw Christa waving one hand at them, and Cole trying to catch his breath.

Then Christa yelled out, "AURIA, YOU DON'T HAVE TO FEEL ALONE ANYMORE!"

Auria was surprised, but then she smiled and yelled back, "I KNOW SISTER! I UNDERSTAND NOW!"

Then Christa noticed that Zane was standing next to Auria.

"Ohhh... ha ha ha. SORRY, I DIDN'T SEE YOU ZANE!" Christa yelled back.

Zane waved and Christa waved back. Then she turned to Cole.

"Okay, everything's fine. Sorry for dragging you around like that," she said, as she rubbed the back of her head and smiled sheepishly.

Cole raised one hand and used what energy he had left to lift his body up, and said,

"Nah, it's... alright... I'm good. I'm cool, I think... Woo man, you can run."

Christa blushed, as she continued to look at Cole, as he was trying to catch his breath.

Auria and Zane were looking at them and they both laughed, as they slowly reached out and held hands.


	26. Chapter 26 You Like Me?

On another day, everyone was taking a break from training and just walking around the city and such. So near the large water moat around the whole city, Flare was just taking a stroll next to it looking out into the water. Then she heard someone call out to her,

"Hey Flare!"

She turned around to see Dareth running over towards her.

Flare signed and said, "Yes, hello 'Brown Ninja', are you here to pester me about Violet?"

Dareth looked at Flare quite surprised and asked, "How did you know?"

Flare replied, "Because I read your mind."

"Really?" Dareth asked intrigued.

Flare bluntly said, "No," and turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Dareth called out and ran next to her.

Flare signed and said, "Okay, what do you need help with?"

Then Dareth said, "Yes! Okay, um, I mean... you've been around vampires and such right? So I was wondering if you would know what vampires like, especially Violet."

Flare raised an eyebrow at Dareth and said, "First off, vampires like to scare people and they need blood to survive... and secondly, why do you need my help for? Why don't you just talk to her?"

Dareth looked away in shame and said, "I've tried to talk to her for a few days already, but all she does is either ignore or scoff at me. I don't know what I can do to get her attention, and let's face it, I'm not that good of a ninja like the others are..."

"You got that right at least," Flare said, with a nonchalant expression.

Dareth signed and said, "I just don't know what I should do, and you being a girl and all with that same sort of coldness like Violet... I thought maybe you would know what would interest a girl like her, and even the kind of guy she would like."

Flare stood expressionless and said, "Well, I can't say your wrong apparently, but what does it matter? If your not acting like yourself all this effort would be pointless. Eventually she's going to see the real you so you might as well just _be_ you. I know for a fact if someone tried to act like something they're not I would slap them across the face silly."

Dareth signed again and said, "Yeah I know, but I really like Violet..."

"What's with you and Violet? Your both like complete opposites, in characteristics and intelligence... and you even said she scoffs at you and ignores you! What do you see in her?" Flare asked.

Dareth rubbed the back of his head and said, "Well, when I see Violet, it's like if a star fell from the heavens and took the form of a human, well, vampire. She's just so strong, brilliant, and radiate..."

"So you like her more for appearance," Flare said, with her arms crossed.

Then Dareth replied, "Her appearance is what caught my interest, but Violet herself captured my heart."

Flare was surprised by what Dareth said, even though he was posing with his hand on his heart looking up to the 'sky'.

"Really?" Flare asked, and then Dareth continued,

"I may have only known her for a few weeks, but I can tell ya for sure... Violet is such a wonderful person at heart. She may have such a tough, rough, and quiet personality, but she's so much more than that. She shows that she's caring and kind, especially when she watches the others train. She's always holding the med kit so that she could spring into action if they need it. She's always trying her best to help you guys and give you tips, and she doesn't even know you guys that well. She's so considerate, and even though she's bluntly honest, she always tells the truth no matter what. I guess, I shouldn't try to act since that would be lying..."

Dareth signed sadly, as he looked down to the ground. Then Flare started to walk, and she turned to Dareth and said,

"You coming or what?"

Dareth looked at Flare confused.

"Huh?" He said, and then Flare said,

"Come on, I'm gonna help ya with Violet."

Dareth was shocked, but then he smiled, as he ran over to Flare and said, "Really? You mean it? Oh man, I can't thank you enough I-"

"Save it Dareth, or I may change my mind," Flare said, while raising one hand up.

Dareth covered his mouth, and then he quickly said, "Uh, thanks," as he covered his mouth again.

Flare just kept walking as if he didn't say anything.

As they were walking to Violet's location, not too far away, Jay, Nya, and Kai were just walking through the streets together. Jay was telling some jokes that made Nya laugh and that made Kai just shake his head and smirk.

At one point, as they were walking to an intersection, Kai happened to look right and noticed that Flare and Dareth were both walking together somewhere and talking.

Kai wondered, _'__Is that Flare and Dareth? That's weird.__ I know for a fact Flare doesn't really like Dareth __that __much... no she doesn't, and Dareth likes Violet.'_

Jay and Nya noticed where Kai was looking, and they also noticed that Flare and Dareth were walking together.

"Hm, I wonder where they could be going?" Nya asked, and then Jay said,

"Oh! I guess Dareth's probably trying to _woo_ Flare."

Kai quickly turned towards Jay, but then Nya said,

"No, I don't think Dareth would be foolish enough to flirt with Flare. Besides he likes Violet."

Then Jay said jokingly, "Well, who knows. I mean, Violet and Flare _are_ pretty similar in personality and attitude, although Violet is much nicer. But that _does_ raise the question as to why he's hanging out with Flare..."

Kai couldn't take anymore of Jay's suggestions, so he made an excuse,

"Uh, Oh man! I think Sensei needed to see me now. I guess I gotta go now guys I'll see ya later bye."

Then Kai ran around a corner the opposite where Flare and Dareth were, as Nya and Jay looked on in confusion.

"What was that about?" Nya asked, as Jay replied,

"I have no idea... but, at least _we_ get to hang out. You know, just the two of us, at that Viporeon cuisine place."

Nya looked at Jay, as he smiled at her, and she just shrugged her shoulders and smiled back at him.

Back with Kai, he jumped up on the rooftops and started to hop across them towards where Dareth and Flare were heading.

_'I don't believe Dareth would try to hit on Flare! __H__e likes Violet! __A__nd I don't think Dareth would be standing right now if he did... but why would she be hanging out with __him__? Unless she... no... NO WAY she likes him! She doesn't like anyone like that!'_ Kai thought, as he hastened his pace to catch up with Flare and Dareth.

However, Kai seemed to forget that Flare can actually sense a person's presence based on the light and darkness within that person. So she became aware of his pursuit the closer he came to herself and Dareth.

_'Well well well, fire boy... __It __seems like he's following us. I wonder what he wants...'_ Flare thought, as they started to approach Violet, who was sitting next to the fountain near the castle, looking into the water.

Dareth became nervous, as Flare told him to suck it up when they drew closer to Violet.

When they were close enough, Flare called out to Violet, who turned around, stood up, and walked over towards them.

"Yes, you called?" Violet said, as she looked at Flare and only glanced at Dareth with a straight face.

Then Flare asked, "Okay look, you're already aware that Dareth likes you a lot right?"

Violet turned to Dareth, as he held his breath.

Then she turned to Flare and said, "I've been aware of that since the first time we met."

Flare nodded and then asked, "Okay wonderful. Now tell me, what do you think of him?"

Violet then crossed her arms and closed her eyes to think. After a moment, she opened her eyes and spoke,

"I think he's pretty foolish and arrogant at some points. I also think he's hasty, and lacks a good amount of talent when it comes to combat of any form..."

Dareth looked down in disappointment in himself, until Violet continued speaking, which made him look up,

"But, I do see that no matter what, he _still_ tries hard to do something right, and as I was told from the others, he actually succeeded in helping them save Ninjago. Although he was unaware of it at first. He may make mistakes and not be as talented, but he still tries other ways to make up for it, which actually makes him helpful in a way that he's able. Even when it comes to getting supplies, picking up weapons, or cleaning the arena, he appreciates the little he can do and does it to the best he can. I would prefer someone like that to be around, even if they're, well..."

"Moronic?" Flare asked, as Violet nodded and said,

"Yes that's the word, though not as strong in meaning."

Dareth's mouth hung open when he heard what Violet said about him. He was shocked by the nice things she said, and he was even more stunned when she said that she prefered someone like him to be around. Then Flare turned towards Dareth and wacked him over the head, as he snapped out of his thoughts. Flare gestured towards Violet, as Dareth got the message and walked a few steps closer to her.

"Well, um, Violet. I didn't realize you thought like that, especially about me. I thought you thought I was just a fool..."

"You are a fool, but your not a bad one, and your not so foolish _all _of the time," Violet replied, as Dareth rubbed the back of his head and said,

"Yeah, I guess I am, but I know one thing that's not foolish..."

Violet showed some curiosity and asked, "What's that?"

Dareth became a little more serious and bold, as he said, "Having feelings for you."

Violet's eyes widened at what he said.

Then she asked, "What do you see in someone like me?"

Then Dareth answered, "A good woman."

Violet was touched by what Dareth said. Her arms went down to her sides as she took it in.

_'He __**really**__ sees me as a person, and not just a __monstrous__ vampire, not __like__ how many others do...'_ Violet thought, as she looked down.

Then Flare walked next to Violet and whispered to her, "Just go on a date with him so that he'll leave me alone!"

Violet looked at Flare with a raised eyebrow, and then she shrugged. Violet turned towards Dareth and said,

"Shall we take a walk somewhere for a while?"

Dareth's eyes brightened and widened, as he asked, "R-really?! You mean like a like a date?!"

Violet looked towards Flare who smirked, and then she turned back to Dareth and said,

"Yes, why not."

Dareth leaped for joy and was yelling out "Yes! Oh yeah! Finally! I got a date!'

After a while he froze and turned towards Violet and Flare, who were looking at him with stoic expressions. Then Dareth cleared his throat and gained his composure, as he walked towards Violet and offered her his arm. Violet looked at Dareth, and then she rested her hand on his arm, as they both started to walk away. Dareth turned to Flare real quick and waved, and Flare waved him off. As Dareth waved back at Flare, Violet smirked at him, although Dareth didn't notice.

Then, after they were off a good distance, Flare signed and thought, _'Well, now that that's over, let's see why fire boy decided to __follow __us__.__'_

On one of the roofs, Kai was listening to the whole conversation between Violet, Dareth, and Flare. After it was over, he signed in relief with his eyes closed.

_'Dareth must have asked Flare to help him __with__ Violet. __G__ood... wait, what do I care? It's not like me and Flare __are together__...' _

Then Kai turned around to walk away, but when he did, Flare was standing right there, with her arms crossed and a suspicious expression. Kai yelped in surprise, as he jumped back and held his chest with one hand.

"WHAT THE?! H-How did you get here?!" Kai asked, surprised and confused.

Then Flare placed one hand on her hip, and said, "Funny thing Kai. I was going to ask you the same thing, and why you followed us all the way out here?"

Kai froze for a moment, but then he signed and asked,

"How did you know?"

Flare walked closer to Kai and replied,

"What? You forgot I could sense other people's presence? Like Ryan, and Lloyd, and YOU!"

Kai face-palmed, since he did indeed forget. Then Flare asked,

"So, you mind telling me _why_ you followed us?"

Kai felt his heartbeat speed up, but he tried to keep cool, even though it was hard under Flare's hard stare.

"Well, I was just in the neighborhood ya know-" -Kai

"In the neighborhood for about half a mile and twenty minutes?" -Flare

"Well, I was okay! And I just thought about catching up with you and Dareth since I was bored-" -Kai

"Weren't you with Nya and Jay a moment before you followed us? And why didn't you come over earlier?" Flare asked, as Kai became a little annoyed and said,

"Well yeah I was, but... I thought maybe you would prefer to be _a__lone_ with your 'close friend' Dareth!"

Kai used quotations with his hands when he said 'close friend'.

Now this pretty much annoyed Flare, as her brows furrowed and she frowned. Then Flare said,

"What the heck are you rambling on about Kai?! YOUR the one stalking us, and YOUR the one who's making these ridiculous assumptions! I don't think of Dareth as a 'close friend' or anything more than a friend! He's too foolish for my tolerance! And I'm surprised YOUR starting to become that way TOO!"

Flare crossed her arms and turned to the side, angry, as Kai turned around to walk away, but then he stopped. Without turning around, Kai said in a softer tone,

"I'm sorry Flare. I thought you were... interested in Dareth or something."

Flare signed and calmed down a little, as she turned towards Kai and said, "Even if I was, which I DON'T mind you! What would it matter to y-"

Flare cut off, as something clicked inside her mind and she looked down. Kai noticed her sudden silence, and he turned around to see Flare looking down in deep thought. He walked towards Flare and asked,

"Hey. What's the matter? Flare?"

Then Flare looked up at Kai, with her mouth open in a surprise, which made Kai raise an eyebrow. Then her face changed from a little stunned, to regular, to a small smile, and then to a mischievous grin with half closed eyes. Kai was confused for that moment, until Flare's hand slowly raised, and pointed at him.

Then Kai realized what she was going to say and his face became a bit flushed, as his eyes widened and he started saying,

"No, No, NO! Flare, I-I know what your thinking but that's not- NO! Flare, stop thinking that! I-I wouldn't think of you like that I-"

"You like me."

After Flare said this, Kai became silent and looked at her with a little fear, as her eyes brightened from his response, which made him nervous.

Then Flare raised her voice a little louder,

"You _l__ike __m_e!"

"I-I never said I did!" Kai said, as his face started to turn red.

Flare ignored him and said

"You _LIKE_ me! That's why you were watching us! That's why you couldn't think of a good enough excuse! That's why your even turning red!"

Then she started to laugh, which made Kai's blush turn redder, as he became more agitated.

"I never said I liked you!" Kai yelled.

"But can you deny it?!" Flare yelled back.

Kai was at a lost for words, and he started speaking gibberish, as Flare looked at him, amused. Then Flare laughed at his attempt to talk. Kai's blush was a bright red now, and he started grumbling to himself, saying that he was an idiot for not realizing how this whole situation looked.

Then Flare walked closer to Kai, without him realizing.

"Oh Kaii~" Flare sang, as she held onto Kai's arm and asked in a taunting voice,

"Do you get nervous when I'm _this_ close to youu~?"

Kai pulled away from Flare, as he backed away from her, until he bumped into the roof-access door thing. He stood pressed against the door, as Flare came really close to his face with her own, a few inches apart.

Flare smirked and said, tauntingly, "How about _this_ my dear, sweet Kai? Does _this _distance make you feel nervous?!"

Kai's face turned a dark shade of red from how close Flare was to him. To escape her question, Kai shuffled away from his current position and started to run away from Flare by hopping across the roofs.

Flare just laughed and yelled out to Kai,

"Oh man. I'm not letting THIS down Kai! I CAN TELL YOU THAT! HA HA HA!"

Kai was still hopping across the roofs, as Flare continued to laugh.

_'Aw man, __COME ON!__!'_ Kai thought, as he fled,

_'Now she knows __that__ I like her! __W-wait,__ did I just say...' _

"AAAAHHHHHH!" Kai yelled out, as he held his head with both hands.


	27. Chapter 27 Hope

On another day, after training, Jay decided to take Nya out for a walk around the forest. Usually both of them just stood around the city, but Jay wanted to bring Nya somewhere different, so he asked if she would like to just take a walk around the forest. Nya agreed, and then they both were off.

"Wow, this place is so beautiful. I would've never guessed a place like this would even be here," Nya said, as they were walking passed some forest trees.

"Yeah I know. I'm still mind-blowned by that," Jay replied.

Nya giggled, which made Jay blush, as he said outloud without realizing, "Nya's so cute when she laughs."

Nya's eyebrow raised, as she looked at Jay, who put his hand over his mouth when he realized he spoke outloud. After a moment, Jay lightly laughed, as he rubbed the back of his head and said,

"Heh heh, I guess I thought I was saying that in my head."

Then Nya smiled and said, "Aw, Jay's so cute when he laughs."

Jay was surprised, but then he smiled, as he continued to walk alongside Nya.

"Hey Nya. We've been through a lot together, haven't we?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, it's been a long journey," Nya said, and then she wrapped her arm around Jay's and said,

"But I've enjoyed it, especially with you."

Jay rubbed the back of his head and said, "Aw thanks. You know, I think the same thing, about you of course."

Nya smiled at Jay, as he smiled back.

Then they heard what sounded like shifting water. They both looked at one another, and then they sneaked over through the trees and bushes towards the sound.

When they looked out from behind some bushes, they saw one of the fountains that were in the forest. This particular fountain was very large and shaped like a rectangle, and there was a statue in the center of the fountain that had fish jumping up from the bottom, and birds flying up from the top. Near the front center of the fountain, closer to where Jay and Nya were hiding, Raven was standing on the water with her eyes closed, while holding her water staff in front of her.

"What is she doing?" Jay whispered.

"I don't know," Nya replied in a whisper.

Then they became silent, as Raven started to move. She started spinning while moving her staff around in the water. Then she jumped up from the water, as the water spiraled upward, as she spinned in the air. Next, Raven started to spin even faster, as she yelled out,

"NinjaGOOO!"

In mid-air, Raven started to spin in a dark blue and silver spiral.

"Whoa," Jay and Nya said, as they continued to watch.

The water spiraling around Raven, then converged with her spin into a large tornado of water. The water below was spiraling along with the tornado of water like a whirlpool. What made it more amazing was that the water was changing into different colors, as it spiraled upward.

"That's amazing. She's _really_ got the hang of it," Nya said.

"Yeah, she's awesome! How did she learn to do spinjitzu like that?" Jay said, as he looked around and noticed someone standing near the fountain.

"Hey, Nya, look! Is that..." Jay said, as he pointed towards the side where he noticed someone was standing.

Nya looked towards where Jay was pointing, and then she gasped and said,

"Lloyd?"

Towards the left of Jay and Nya 's position closer next to the fountain, Lloyd was standing there in his golden and green attire looking up at Raven. He had a smile on his face, as he watched Raven use her spinjitzu with much precision and a decent amount of power. Then the water tornado started to slow down, and Raven was seen at the top, as she took her water staff and surfed down with the spiral of the tornado. As she did so, the water followed behind her down until she continued to surf in a circle just above the surface of the water. Then she jumped away and landed on the edge of the fountain. The water continued to spiral around until it slowed down and fell into the rest of the fountain water, returning to it's habitat.

Raven nodded and turned around, as she jumped down off the edge to where Lloyd was standing.

"Great job. Your getting better," Lloyd said, as Raven turned to him and smiled.

"You really think so? That's so awesome," Raven said, as she clasped her hands together and jumped up in excitment.

Lloyd looked at Raven with a soft smile.

"Okay okay. Your doing much better now, and with some more practice, I think you'll be closer to becoming a Spinjitzu Master," Lloyd said, as Raven straightened up and asked,

"You really think I'll become a Spinjitzu Master one day?"

Lloyd thought about it, with his hand under his chin. Then he put his hand on Raven's shoulder and said,

"I know you will. Your strong, and not just physically, mentally too."

Raven smiled widely, as she hugged Lloyd. He was a little surprised because of how fast she moved.

"Your strong too Lloyd, especially your heart," Raven said, as Lloyd smiled and stroked her hair.

"Aww," Jay and Nya said in unison, as they both looked at each other and smiled.

Then Jay took Nya by her hands, and they both continued to look into each other's eyes, lovingly. Slowly, their faces came closer together, until they actually kissed for a few seconds. Then they pulled away and both blushed as they looked away from one another. Jay held his hand to his chest, and Nya put her hand on her cheek. Although they weren't looking at one another through their shyness, their hands slowly clasped together.

Upon one of the cliffs from the cave wall stairs, Sensei Wu stood looking out at the view of Fountain Falls. He was keeping watch, and enjoying the view. However, he felt that someone was approaching from up the stairs to where he was, but they didn't seem like a danger of any sort. Sensei Wu turned to see that Misako was the one who was walking up the cliffside to him.

"Hello Misako," Sensei Wu said, as Misako smiled and said,

"Hello Wu."

Then Sensei Wu asked, "What are you doing up here?"

Misako replied, "I came to tell you that dinner will be ready soon. The Viporeons are making a pretty special dinner and wanted to make sure that everyone attends."

Wu nodded and said, "Oh, that is very generous of them. I will join shortly."

Sensei Wu then continued to look out around Fountain Falls. Misako looked down with some sadness, and said,

"Wu... I'm sorry about what occurred between us before. It shouldn't have happened."

Wu turned towards Misako, as she continued,

"Although Garmadon was evil before and tried to take over Ninjago, that didn't give us the right to just give up on him. Well, it didn't give _me_ the right to abandon hope that he would return to me, and try to 'move on'."

Sensei Wu then signed and said, "Don't blame yourself so much. For apparently, I had also abandoned hope to believe that my brother would return to us. And that a future with you, would redeem my past errors, somehow... But my brother has returned to us, and this time..."

Sensei Wu became more stern in his expression as he said,

"We will never abandon our hope again."

Misako nodded, as she smiled,

"Right."

Sensei Wu nodded and turned to continue over-looking Fountain Falls, as Misako turned and started walking down the stairs.

As she neared the bottom, she saw Garmadon was waiting for her to return. She smiled widely when she saw him, as he did to her.

"So, is he coming?" Garmadon asked, as Misako answered,

"He said he'll be joining us soon. I believe he enjoys the scenery from up there."

Garmadon nodded and said, "Ah yes. Who wouldn't enjoy such a sight for sore eyes. This kingdom is beautiful."

Misako nodded and said, "It's like a master piece brought to life. All of the kingdoms are."

Then Garmadon extended his hand, as Misako looked at his hand and took it. They both walked away together towards the feasting hall with smiles on their faces, as they looked towards one another occasionally.

**Tip for reading: Remember what you have read... it may be relevent later on... ;)**


	28. Chapter 28 Still Trapped

On another day, Raven was walking towards the castle with Lloyd. She told him she wanted to show him something, and he agreed, even though Raven didn't say what it was that she wanted to show him. They entered the castle and took the staircase down to the basement. The basement entrance was hidden in the lower level room, which had one wall with shelves full of books, and on the adjacent wall was a stone statue of a bird perched on a golden branch. Raven took a blue book on the shelf and switch it with a black one next to it, which made the head of the bird statue flip up, and then she pressed a red button under the statue's head. Then the corner between the walls of the statue and books pulled away to reveal the secret entrance.

"Whoa," Lloyd said.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Raven said with a smile.

Then they traveled down the dark staircase to the basement. They made it into a room that was a plain square room, with only one light bulb in the center of the ceiling lighting the room. Raven stood in the center of the room, and then she walked opposite where the staircase was and touched the wall. Around her hand on the wall, a vertical, rectangular outline of green, red, and blue glistened and faded. Raven stepped back, as the wall opened from the center like sliding doors.

The next room was dark, but there was an illuminating light of cyan that lit up even the room Raven and Lloyd were in. As they both entered the hidden room, there was a metal staircase that lead seven steps downward to a circular platform that went around the the whole room. Also, there were four steps that lead from the circular platform down to the ground level of the room.

In the center of the room, there was a large, cyan-colored crystalline structure that was surrounded by some computers that went in a circle around it. Above the crystalline structure, hanging from the ceiling, were robotic arms and tools that were controlled by another computer system on the circular platform. The only real lights in the room were the glowing buttons, the screens on the computers, and the crystalline structure itself.

Raven and Lloyd stood before the crystalline structure.

Then Lloyd asked, "Um, Raven, What's going on? What are we doing here, and what is this?"

Raven looked down with some sadness, and then she turned towards Lloyd and said,

"Lloyd, I wanted to show you... this is the crystal prison my dad told everyone about. The same prison that my mother is trapped in."

"What?" Lloyd said as his eyes widened, and he looked back towards the crystalline structure.

Then he noticed who was trapped within the crystal:

It was a little hard to see at first because the crystal was a little frosted on the outside. But when Lloyd moved just a little to the center of the crystal, he saw a woman with black hair, and who wore what looked to be silver, black, and purple clothes. As I said, the frost made her appearance unclear, but you could see her face much more clearly. Her face was very similar to Raven's and her hair had two pieces in the front that had one blue bead near the end of each strand. Her eyes were closed, with a serene expression on her face.

"Frozen in ssspace, frozen in time, yet she's still alive... presssserved in the crystal prison."

Lloyd and Raven turned to see that King Terrin was walking towards them, as he spoke those words. He was in his Serpentine form, so technically he was slithering towards them.

"Daddy."

"Your Highness."

Raven and Lloyd said simultaneously.

Terrin nodded, as he turned towards his crystallized wife.

"Dr. Julien hasss been a big help in the processs of freeing my wife from the prisssson. He's given me very helpful suggestionssss, and extra ssssupport. I believe we're even closer to freeing Reine from thissss prison then ever before," Terrin said, as he moved closer to the computer in front of him.

"That'sss great dad! Do you think... do you think you'll be able to free her sssoon?" Raven asked, as her father thought about it and then turned towards her and said,

"I'm sure we'll be able to break her out ssssoon. I can't wait to ssssee her face when she ssssees how much you've grown Raven."

Raven nodded, as her father turned to Lloyd and said,

"And how she'll react to meeting the Golden Sssspinjitzu Master."

Lloyd laughed a little and said, "Just Lloyd is fine."

Terrin nodded, as he smiled, and Lloyd nodded back. Then Terrin turned back to the crystal that encased Reine and approached it closely. He became saddened, as he placed his hand on the crystal and said,

"Ssssoon my love, you will be free. Ssssoon."

Raven and Lloyd turned towards one another with sad expressions from watching Terrin's gesture. Raven looked down in sorrow, as Lloyd noticed this and he wrapped his arm around her to comfort her. Raven turned towards Lloyd and rested her head on his shoulder, as Lloyd held her close to him. Terrin turned to see Lloyd comforting Raven, and he smiled as he thought to himself,

_'He cares much for my daughter. That's good to know... But... I'll be watching him, VERY__carefully.'_

Terrin's expression became more stern, as he looked towards Lloyd.

On an island between the dark islands and light islands, stood a large, rectangular tower. Near the base from the ground up to one story was made of grey stone bricks. The next six floors had one window on each side and the wall was made of caramel-colored bricks. The roof was red and flat, and the corners of the building from the roof to the ground was blue.

The rest of the island was covered in grey-colored grass, which was more accumulated in the center of the island acting as a field around the tower, and extended out towards the black-leaved forest around the rest of the island. The outer perimeter of the island was mostly composed of beach that lead out to the sea.

Within the tower in the sixth floor, was a certain room that held a particular person. The room was actually two rooms that connected together. One room side had a bed made of golden wood with a blue and pink bedspread, a vanity with gold around the mirror while the drawers and legs were made of bronze, and a bathroom as well. In the other room side, had a table next to the window to look out, a kitchen in one corner of the room with an island table, a televison on the opposite corner with some videos games and movies, and another corner of that room had some shelves with books on the top and clothes on the bottom.

The particular person who lived there was sitting next to the table and looking out the window. She had her elbow resting on the table with her chin resting on her hand. Her hair was jet-black medium-length, with two pink and two light blue streaks that went from the sides of her forehead down just past the rest of her hair length. She had bangs that just reached her eyes and slightly curled in and up. She wore a black sweater with pink linings on the pockets. She had blue capri pants with black shoes that had a pink, horizontal strip across them. She just stood looking out the window bored, but also sad, and thought,

_'I wish I could go home to the others. Silva says I have to stay here to be safe while the others work, but I can help them! -sign-_ _I want to be back with my family! Oh__Marcell, it's be too long sister...'_

Lucy continued to look out the window, as she thought of the times being with her big sister and her people, as they would just travel across the lands of Ninjago, race the wind, and watch the moon rise as the sun would set.

_'Enough!'_ Lucy thought, as she stood up from her seat with determination.

_'I wish to return home!__I miss Marcell and our people__soo much and...and I know something they don't. Silva isn't the only one...'_

Then Lucy turned towards the kitchen where the vent on the upper wall was.

_'Hmm... I can climb down through the vent__until the second floor, and__then I'll have to sneak out the rest of the way. -sign- I wish the windows weren't locked so well.'_

Lucy removed the vent cover, and climbed in while pulling the vent cover to close it. She then manuveured her way throw the ventilation shaft to the second floor. She looked down through the grated cover of the horizontal ventilation shaft that went across the ceiling of the room she was in.

Apparently, the second floor was just one huge room that had a long white rug that went across the center and connected the two staircases on the opposite sides of the room. The two opposite walls, adjacent to the walls where the staircases were, had two windows on each side with one potted plant under each window. The walls were black, the ceiling was blue, and the rest of the floor was a dark, shiny blue.

There were four guards in this room, and they were playing cards in the middle of the floor since they were bored. They wore full dark grey clothes, with light-grey hoods, and black belts.

Lucy smirked since their boredom would enable her to escape. She pulled out a short red-handled knife from one of her pockets, and used it to slice open a square from the top of the ventilation shaft so that she would be able to walk on top of it, without drawing much attention.

After she was firmly standing on the ventilation shaft, Lucy looked back at the guards and decided to play it safe. She dug in her pocket and pulled out a white pebble that she found in a river one time with Marcell. She took aim, and threw the pebble at the potted plant opposite where the vent was under the window. The guards immediately rose when they heard the pot smash onto the glossy floor. They walked over to inspect the damage while Lucy jumped over to the staircase leading downward.

She was able to jump down the staircase so that even if the guards looked, she would already be halfway down the stairs. Then Lucy climbed down the rest of the stairs and looked over the side to see if there were more guards, but no one was there.

_'What?'_ She thought, as she walked down to the first floor.

This floor looked just like the second, but there were no windows and the opposite staircase was replaced by a double white door. Then Lucy heard voices approaching from the the staircase from the basement, as she quickly jumped up on the ceiling like a cat and held on. She looked down below, as she saw four guards walking up the stairs and talking.

"Dang man. That beast gave quite a fight." -Female guard one

"I know, it's so strong, and you can barely get behind him without him seeing." -Male guard one

"Dude, it has eight eyes to see with, and four BIG mouths. I'm surprised we even survived." -Female guard two

"Yeah, well, at least that's over with. We chained it down way better than before, so it's not breaking out anytime soon." -Male guard two

"Hey. Let's go upstairs and check on the princess real quick, then we can get something to eat." -Female guard one

The four guards started climbing up the staircase.

Lucy jumped down from the ceiling and landed softly on the floor. She looked towards the two white doors, then towards the basement stairs.

_'Should I just leave?_ _But, what sort of creature do they have locked up__down there?'_ Lucy thought, as she made up her mind, and ran down the basement stairs.

It was pretty dark, but you could see that the basement was a corridor with iron doors.

As she walked across this corridor, Lucy heard a sound in the distance like wind, but then it sounded more like breathing, as she stood before the last iron door. Lucy looked at the lock and flicked her hand which revealed a metal pick. She started to fumble with the lock for a few seconds, and then the lock clicked, as Lucy unhooked it from the door and set it down on the floor gently. Then she slowly pushed open the iron door, and entered a large circular room.

In the center, stood a large, white dragon with four heads and huge wings. It was chained to the floor by it's four legs, it's tail, it's four necks, and the wings. Also, each mouth had a chain wrapped around it securely. The beast looked very weak and tired, with cuts and scraps on it's exterior.

When Lucy entered, the four headed beast looked up at her and stood with each of it's eyes fixed on her.

_'What kind of monsters are these people that they would lock up such a beautiful creature?'_ Lucy thought, as she slowly approached the beast and said,

"Hey big dragon. Hi... you have four heads. Hey each head, how your doing?"

Ultra dragon pulled a little away from Lucy as it growled, but she continued walking towards him, and then she held out one hand and stopped moving.

"It's okay, my name's Lucy, vampire princess. I've come to bust you out of here, and myself too," Lucy said.

Ultra dragon looked at Lucy suspiciously, until she closed her eyes with her hand still in front of her towards the dragon. Then Ultra dragon slowly moved towards Lucy, as each head of the dragon sniffed, and then the head of the Earth dragon Rocky, placed the tip of his nose on her hand.

On contact, Lucy was able to peer into the minds of the Ultra dragon:

She saw when each dragon first met the ninja at the temples, and when the ninja became their riders. She saw when the dragons left the ninja to mature, when they returned as the Ultra dragon and fought the Great Devourer, when they participated in Ninjaball Run with Lloyd, and when they fought the Overlord. Also, Lucy saw when Ultra dragon was captured just shortly after leaving the ninja from Ninjago city, and when he was brought to the tower.

After seeing this, Lucy became conscious again, and then she placed her hand on her mouth, as she looked at the Ultra dragon with sympathy.

"Oh you dear, dear creature. You belong to the Green ninja... he's your master. I'v heard of him from others... You must go to him! And to the ninja," Lucy said, as she started to grab on the chains around the mouths of each dragon head and tore them off.

_'No one should be stolen from their family! No matter if they are human or dragon or whatever,'_ Lucy thought, as she broke off all the chains on the white dragon's body.

Afterward, Ultra Dragon stood up and spreaded out his wings, as he stretch out his body. Then, he nuzzled Lucy with each of his heads and purred, thanking her for her help, as Lucy patted each head.

"Oh wait, we gotta go now! They probably realized that I've esccaped by now!" Lucy said, as she jumped up on Ultra dragon's back and held onto the reins, which were a little dusty and scratched but still good enough to use.

"Let's go Ultra Dragon! Fly up!" Lucy called out and she kicked both legs at the same time, as Ultra dragon lifted up his four heads and shot out an element from each mouth.

As the ceiling cracked and split into numerous pieces, Ultra dragon flew straight up and charged through the falling rumble.

When he finally broke through the tumbling rocks, he ended up busting through the ground that was not too far from the tower.

As the white dragon rose up higher in the air, he and Lucy could hear the people in the tower yelling out in panik.

"Let's GO!" Lucy yelled out, as she turned the Ultra dragon away from the building, and he started flying away.

However, one of the guards, who was outside already, assembled a vehicle that looked like it had a large cross bow and could be driven from the compartment on the back of the vehicle. Right when he started the engine, another guard jumped on the vehicle and aimed the crossbow at the flying dragon. Then the driver guard drove the crossbow vehicle, following after Ultra dragon, as the second guard aimed and fired a ball and chain. It went flying across the sky and ended up latching itself around one of Ultra dragon's wings, which sent the dragon and vampire princess falling free-style to the ground.

They landed right into the forest part of the land, just where the forest and plains of grey grass met. The ground was pretty soft, and Ultra dragon wasn't flying so high, so the fall wasn't so bad. Lucy ended up getting thrown off of Ultra dragon when he landed, and rolling a little across the floor. She was able to get up, as Ultra dragon was trying to remove the ball and chain from his wing.

"I got it," Lucy said, as she tore the chain off the dragon's wing.

"Can you move?" Lucy asked, as Ultra dragon tried to move his wing slowly.

It hurt him a little, but he could manage. Then they heard people yelling in the distance.

_'They're coming,'_ Lucy thought, as she saw Ultra dragon trying to turn around and face the people.

"No, Ultra dragon. Your too damaged right now to fight. You must find your owner and heal," Lucy said, as Ultra dragon roared lowly, since he didn't want to be heard by the guards.

Lucy understood what Ultra dragon was trying to say.

She shook her head and said, "No. Your not going to be bait for me. You've been here long enough, and suffered too much..."

Suddenly, Ultra dragon saw Lucy standing right in front of him with her back turned and face towards where the guards were.

Then she said, "I'll go. I can distract them long enough for you to escape. Quickly now."

Ultra dragon made another little roar in protest, until Lucy turned and looked at him with serious determination that made Ultra dragon lower his heads in understanding.

"Go! Do not let my risk be in vain! Go now my friend!" Lucy said, as she ran out of the forest and in the field.

She waved and yelled out at the guards, who were coming on their crossbow vehicles, and another vehicle that was like a truck of all black with red and orange flames on the bottom and spikes across the top like a mohawk, with poles around the body of the truck so that other people could hold onto it from the outside. Lucy ran towards them and jumped on the crossbow and kicked it down so hard that it snapped in half. The driver skidded from the attack and stopped the vehicle. After that attack, Lucy jumped on the truck and started breaking off the poles so that the guards would fall off of the vehicle. As she did this, more guards appeared, fighting with Lucy while the ones in the vehicles parked and joined the others to try and subdue the Vampire princess.

During this time, Ultra dragon was very sad that he had to leave his friend to fend for herself, and most likely, to get captured again. However, he knew he had to return to Lloyd and the ninja as soon as possible to warn them, and to come back to the island to save Lucy. After one more glance towards Lucy, he ran off to try to escape the forest and find the ninja. Ultra dragon made it to the beach part of the island, where he spreaded his wings and took off, though he was slow because of his injuries. He started heading across the sea back to Ninjago, in search of his master.

Meanwhile, Lucy fought bravely against Silva's guards, until a certain person showed up and easily captured her. She was once again placed in her room, where she stood with two women guards and a ball and chain on her left leg so that she couldn't escape again.

As Lucy stood looking out the window like she was before, she was concerned about a lot of things, but she had one thing on her mind,

_'Please be safe my dragon friend.'_

**The princess is ****_still_**** in the castle. How about that toad?!**


	29. Chapter 29 The Evil Meeting

After all the events that occurred during those few weeks, the evil meeting was only a few days away.

The Ninja Crew had to prepare themselves for whatever was going to happen during the meeting.

King Terrin and some of the Viporeons were already on their way to where the evil meeting was being hosted. They would hide underground, until Silva would arrive with her ship so that they could search inside and find where Lucy is being kept.

The Ninja and Kunoichi who were going to the meeting dressed themselves up in dark attire to blend in. They all decided to wear black hoods and scarves as a theme and to disguise themselves:

Christa wore a black hood that covered her hair with a grey scarf that covered her mouth, a black shirt and pants with a yellow belt that held a dagger on the left side.

Raven wore a black hood that went just over her eyes(she can see you but you can't see her) with a dark purple scarf on her mouth, a black shirt and pants, and a blue belt.

Lloyd wore a black hood over his face like Raven's with a dark green scarf to cover his mouth, a black shirt, and dark green pants, with a katana straped on his back.

Kai wore a black hood that covered his hair with a dark red scarf over his mouth, a black shirt, and dark red pants, with a sword strapped to his back.

Zane wore a black hood that covered his hair with a white scarf, a black shirt, and black pants, with a pack of shurikens in his left pocket.

Sensei Wu wore a black hood that covered his eyes like Raven and Lloyd, a white and black scarf, a black shirt and grey pants.(He is not wearing his hat and he is holding a black stick.)

Cole didn't wear a hood because Flare said it would be too suspicious, but he had to wear some make-up that Flare put on him. She used black make-up just around his eyes, and some white to make him look pale. Also, his hair was messed up like his eyebrows in an upward position. (Flare commented that it didn't take much for Cole to look messy like his eyebrows and Cole just frowned at her.) He also wore all black with a cape that was orange on the inside and black on top.

Auria couldn't wear her hood either so she had to change her appearance pretty well. She put black hair streaks on her hair and let her hair down with a black band on her forehead, and she wore black eye-shadow. Flare used a grey make-up to make Auria's skin look grey, and she wore black lipstick too. Also she wore all black with a grey belt, and a grey cape that had black underneath it.

Since they had two tickets, Cole had to take one ticket and three others, while Auria had to also take one ticket and three others. Cole and Auria were chosen as the leaders of the groups, which is why they didn't wear hoods, but they wore capes! (Yeeaahhh!)

Also, the Bounty had to be painted and changed since Silva knew how the Bounty looked. With the technology Jay was able to obtain from Aeroplane, he used it to configure and modifiy the Bounty along with Nya, Dr. Julien, Violet, and Dareth(since he wanted to be near Violet). After this modification, the Bounty was able to fly without the sails, and they put wings on the sides of it like bat wings. They painted it all black with a red outline, dark blue wings, and dark green engine boosters. Also, the name "Grim Glider" was written in red at the front, left side of the ship.

Everyone else which was, Misako, Garmadon, Dr. Julien, Violet, Dareth, Flare, Jay, and Nya wore black hoods and dark makeup just in case, althought they would stay in the Bounty(Grim Glider).

After all this work, the Ninja crew were ready to attend the evil meeting.

Day of the evil meeting:

When the day of the evil meeting had come, everyone was preparing themselves, as Raven and Lloyd were the first two on deck. They had their full disguises on.

"So, what do you think the meeting is going to be about?" Raven asked, as she leaned against the red railing.

Lloyd just shrugged and replied, "I don't know. I wish I did, but at least we'll be able to find out soon."

Raven nodded, and then Lloyd said, "Raven."

"Yes, Lloyd?"

"Are you sure you want to go? You know that Silva still wants to get you right?"

Raven signed, and replied, "Yes, I do. I know the risk I'm taking, but... I have to know what's going on, and I don't want to just sit back safely, knowing that your _all_ taking a risk in even coming to this meeting."

Raven walked closer to Lloyd and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"And besides, I have to watch over you. You might need my help again, like with Ryan," Raven said with a smirk, although Lloyd couldn't see since she wore a scarf.

Lloyd replied, "Wh- Hey, I could've handled him."

Raven tilted her head and arched an eyebrow, as Lloyd said, "Well, maybe... but I'm glad I had your help though."

Raven giggled, as Lloyd smiled, although Raven couldn't see since he had the scarf on.

As the others came on deck, Raven took her hand off Lloyd's shoulder and put it to her side. All the one's who were going to the meeting were on deck, although, Flare was there to make sure everyone looked the part and there were no flaws. She had a black kimono with a black hood and black eyeshadow around her eyes.

"Alright, are you all ready?" Flare asked, as everyone nodded.

"Good, because we're landing and the building is over there," Flare said, as she pointed to a building while the Bounty(Grim Glider) landed not too far away behind some trees.

It was getting pretty dark out since the sun was setting, but the building could still be seen. It was a large rectangular structure with two Roman pillars in the front and two steps up to the door of the building. The roof was white and the street around it was made of gravel. There was some grass around as well, and there were other buildings, but they were abandoned. This building had two spotlights near the two pillars that aimed at the door and glowed a light blue. Since the sun was setting, the building at this time looked like it was a dark orange-red color, with black tinted windows around the sides.

As the ninja were walking off the ramp of the Grim Glider, Kai was the last to start walking down the ramp. Flare stood next to ramp and watched each person walk by as she told them to make sure that they act tough.

As Kai started to pass by, Flare smirked as she said, "Make sure you act tough... my lovey dovey fire boy."

Kai looked at Flare, startled, and then he turned away and starting walking faster, while his cheeks became red with embarrassment. Flare just giggled slyly and waved the others off.

As the two groups walked over to the buildings, they saw that there were other people who were gathering towards the building as well. They had knives, they had swords, they had bows, anchors, spears, and keychains. Some had scars above their eyes, and scars on their arms. Some looked like they haven't slept, while others were more energenic. Half were male, and the other half were female. Everyone was in groups of four, wearing similar clothes depending on their group. There were other groups there of other people who were invited, and... Marcell! The ninja stopped walking when they were close to the building when they spotted Marcell, as she was walking straight towards the doors of the building with Luna, Bronze, and Pythor.

"There's Pythor," Kai said.

"He _is_ alive," Lloyd said.

"And he _is_ with Marcell," Sensei Wu said.

"I say we avoid him. Even if he's with Marcell, she's not on our side right now anyway," Cole said as the others agreed.

Raven looked away in sadness for the Vampire Queen.

As Marcell walked towards the double doors with a stern and scary expression, the other groups of dark ones moved out of the way in respect and some in fear. Marcell stood in front of the doors, and kicked them right open. As she entered, Luna, Bronze, and Pythor followed close behind her. The other criminals and dark ones entered afterward, as well as the ninja.

The inside of the building was very large and round, and it looked like it used to be a ballroom. There was a juice bar opposite the entry doors, and there were many wooden tables with four black chairs around each one, around the center of the room. Four pillars stood in a square shape around the tables, and the ceiling was pretty high with a chandelier that looked like golden rain. The floor was made of grey colored marble(odd), and the walls were white, besides the pillars being dark grey, and the ceiling was black.

The juice bar was the only place that had a very bright amount of light, and was made of all wood, and the shelves were made of wood on the wall. There were six stools in front of the bar that were red seated and black stooled in front of the island part of the juice bar. One man stood behind the juice bar cleaning a cup with a cloth. He had grey and white hair, a small, grey mustache like the monopoly guy, and he wore black and white clothes. The man looked up at everyone, but then he continued to clean some glass cups that were there.

The groups of criminals were confused by the juice bar, as Marcell continued walking towards the juice bartender.

"Hey guy," Marcell said, as she leaned on the island in front of the bartender.

"My name's Alec," the bartender said, as he put the cup on a shelf.

"Ok Alec," Marcell said, as she continued, "Anyway, where's Silva? She should have been here."

Alec took another cup from the bottom shelf and started cleaning it, as he spoke, "Last minute work, but she should be here in a little while, just get comfortable."

With that, Marcell shrugged and looked towards the others and said, "Well, Silva will be here soon. Take a load off guys and gals. Sit or stand or whatever."

Everyone just shrugged and started walking around and mingling.

Marcell walked over to a table that was more out of line than the others and was closer to the juice bar. She picked up a gold card on the table that said:

'Marcell, this is your table. I hope you enjoy your time with us' -Silva.

Marcell crumbled the paper in her hand in anger, as Luna came over and placed her hand on Marcell's shoulder. Marcell looked at Luna, which made her calm down a bit.

"It's hard your majesty, but I'm sure everything will be alright," Luna said.

Marcell signed and said, "If only there was a way to reassure that."

After Marcell said this, she looked up and saw a person in a hood looking at her from just outside the crowd. Marcell looked at the person in a serious and intimidating expression, but the person just continued looking at her. Then the hooded person walked up to Marcell, as Marcell looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Your Marcell the Vampire Queen, the one the others speak about right?" The person asked, as Marcell nodded and said,

"Yes I am, and who wants to know?"

The hooded person said, "Wow, a real vampire, just like a friend of mine, after the Gem of Ages was destroyed."

Marcell's eyes widened, as she realized who she was talking to. Luna was also shocked because Marcell already informed her of what happened with the gem.

"Ra... What are you doing here? It's dangerous, especially for you." Marcell whispered, as she quickly glanced over to the crowd of criminals.

"I know it is, but I need to know what Silva is planning," Raven whispered.

Marcell signed and rubbed her forehead. Then she said,

"Alright, just stay away from me for now. It's better if no one thinks we're friends."

Raven smiled, as she nodded, and walked away while saying, "Wow, I met a real vampire! That's so cool."

Luna smirked and turned to Marcell and said, "Well my my, she knows how to blend in quite well."

Marcell just went "hmph" and sat down as she said, "Yes, and she has a decent amount of strength. I wonder how strong she is now?"

The Ninja and Kunochi were listening to other conversations of the people around the room.

"Dude, these guys are no joke. Most of them are pretty cool, but some of them are nuts!," Cole whispered to Kai, as he nodded and whispered back,

"I know man. No wonder Silva wants to recruit them."

Then Kai and Cole froze up, as they saw Pythor slithering passed them with Bronze walking alongside him.

"How long doessss Silva plan to make ussss wait. She already gave usss a lot of work to do and on a tight schedule at that," Pythor asked Bronze, as he replied,

"Eh I don't know, that's just Silva for ya. But I hope she comes soon... or never."

Bronze and Pythor both chuckled.

"Silva gave them work to do? And on a schedule?" Cole said, as Kai responded,

"Yeah. I wonder what kind of work it is."

Then Cole said, "Well, if it's from Silva, then it can't be good."

"True," Kai said, as they both walked in opposite directions to tell the others what they just heard.

After a few more minutes, a chill was felt in the air, as a puff of smoke and a black flash was seen around the front of the juice bar. The people saw this and immediately ran over to take their seats. The ninja also ran over to their seats closest to the door, in case they needed to escape.

As the smoke and flash cleared, the people who appeared was Silva, who was sitting on the bar stool leaning her back on the island proped on her back elbows while looking down with a smirk and her legs crossed, and Ryan, who just leaned back on one elbow sitting on the bar stool crossing one leg over the other.

After a moment, Silva looked up with her steel eyes at the people in the room before she spoke...

**Oh the suspense...**


	30. Chapter 30 Living Depiction

"Greetings dark twisted ones! As you may all know, my name is Silva and I call this meeting to order. May the leaders of each group raise their tickets up please."

Each leader then lifted up their tickets, as a crow flew above the people and grabbed each ticket with his mouth. The crow flew up above the juice bar and crowed, as Silva nodded at the bird and stood up from her seat.

"Okay, so everyone is here and accounted for, excellent," Silva said.

"We pulled it off," Cole whispered to the others around his table. It was Kai, Sensei Wu, and Zane with Cole as their leader, and it was Raven, Lloyd, and Christa under Auria as their leader.. (Forgot to mention this before but it wasn't so important until now since their sitting down now. ;) ) The two groups sat next to each others' tables.

"Even so, we must still be vigilant. Don't let your guards down," Sensei Wu whispered, as the others nodded.

"Alright everyone, let's get down to business... I've invited all of you here to propose an offer. However, let's have a short history lesson... I'm sure everyone here already knows about the First Spinjitsu Master creating Ninjago and then battling the Overlord and all that good stuff right?" Silva said, as she placed her hands together.

Everyone nodded and said "Mmhm," as Silva also nodded and continued,

"Okay, very good. Well then, do you know what happened before the First Spinjitsu Master created Ninjago? Years before he created Ninjago? What was happening in Aeroplane?"

The audience started to look at one another and murmer to each other, searching for some sort of answer.

"What does she mean about that?" Kai whispered to Sensei Wu.

"I... I'm not sure," Sensei whispered back.

"Wait, _before_ the First Spinjitsu Master created Ninjago?... Auria, Christa, your both from Aeroplane, do you know?" Lloyd asked the two Princesses.

"I'm unsure what relevents it holds," Auria said, as she looked towards Christa who shrugged.

"But did something happen?" Raven asked.

"Well, we weren't really told exactly, but what we do know is that the Four Masters of Aeroplane received the Platinum weapons to protect the people of Aeroplane... and that two Elemental Masters created the weapons and gave it to them," Christa replied.

"Who are the two Elemental Masters?" Lloyd asked.

"We don't know," Auria said, and then everyone's attention was directed towards Silva when she spoke again.

"Well I guess no one knows. Then let me explain with some scrolls I found not too long ago," Silva said, as she pulled a small device out of her pocket.

She pressed a button on the device, which let down a large HD television screen from the ceiling, which stood in front of the juice bar. Silva nodded at someone, who turned the lights dim. Then she pressed another button on the small device, which made the screen turn on with a blue screen.

"Okay, time to explain some things to all of you," Silva said, as she continued, "You all know about the Green ninja right? How he saved everyone, became golden and everything right? Well then, what do you think of this scroll that I found that dates back before the First Spinjitsu Master?"

Silva clicked a button on the small device and the screen flashed to reveal a scroll.

The picture on the scroll showed two people wearing what looked like Ninja gi: One in Green and Gold, and the other in Purple and Silver.

They wore ninja hoods so their faces were not seen. Behind the two people was what looked to be floating lands.

The audience gasped, and whispered, and looked at one another for answers.

"Who are those people?" Raven whispered.

"They both look like ninja," Christa whispered.

"Ninja..." Lloyd said, as he stared at the person in the Green gi.

"Who are they? Are they ninja?" Cole whispered.

"It seems like they are, but then that means ninja date back _before_ the First Spinjitsu Master?" Kai whispered.

"That is a logical explanation, considering that the scroll itself looks ancient, but it doesn't compute," Zane whispered.

"As you can see..." Silva said, as she continued,

"The one on the left in green and gold is the Green ninja, while the one on the right in purple and silver is the Purple ninja. They are the F**irst **G**r**een and Purple ninja!"

The audience gasped.

"The _First_ Green ninja and Purple ninja?!" Cole whispered.

"Sensei what does that mean?! There was a _First_ Green ninja, before Lloyd?" Kai whispered to Sensei Wu.

"I... I didn't know there was a _First_ Green ninja... or even a Purple ninja. I was only informed of a coming Green ninja from the prophesy," Sensei Wu replied.

"Who is this Purple ninja?" Zane whispered, but no one could answer.

Then Silva said, "These two were the first Ninja protectors of Aeroplane. They fought for peace when evil first showed itself on Aeroplane."

Silva scrolled down the scroll and it showed the Green and Purple ninja fighting evil people.

"As you can see," Silva said and continued, "The world before the First Spinjitzu Master was different. You see, at one point, people used to be harassed by monsters and creatures on the ground land below. They lived in fear, which made them run up to high mountains to avoid those creatures. They cried out to the heavens for help, and they're cries were answered when an orb of Platinum came down to them from the sky. When the orb touched the ground, the land began to levitate high into the air, with the people on it. The floating lands were named Aeroplane, and while many people lived on this land, others already found refuge on high mountaintops so they were fine where they lived. Anyway, the people began to build and create the land of Aeroplane, and keep the Platinum orb locked away safe in a temple. You understand so far?"

The audience nodded, and Silva continued,

"Years later, when some people went to explore the land below to find extra resources, they didn't realize that the land below was pretty dark and not balanced. So when the people came down, because they weren't strong in will and heart or protected by light, they became corrupted and evil. Then when they returned to Aeroplane, with the evil and corruption in them, they tried to take over Aeroplane. So when they began to threaten Aeroplane, the Green and Purple ninja found the power to stop the evil people by removing the darkness that corrupted their beings and purifying them. They saved the land of Aeroplane and became heros among all of the people."

The audience began to whisper to one another in amazement. Then Silva raised her hand, as the crowd became silent, and she clicked another button that showed another scroll.

"Now, this next scroll shows what happened next that changed everything..."

Outside the evil meeting building, Terrin and some Viporeons started their search for clues as to Lucy's whereabouts. Terrin and two Viporeons entered a ship that they saw Silva come out of before. They went to the main control room that looked similar to the Bounty's control room, but with many more screens and controls around the room and dark wallpaper.

As they looked around, they couldn't really find anything worth while. However, one of the Viporeons who was a Hypnobrai, saw something under some papers that were on a table in the middle of the room. She pulled it out, and it was a map of all of Ninjago with even the dark islands on it as well. Certain areas were marked on the map with blue ink, while one area was marked in red. Also, an area on the map between both islands was marked in green.

"Your highnessss, I know where the female vampire princessss issss being held!"

Terrin turned to the Viporeon Hypnobrai, as he approached her. She handed him the map, which he took and looked at carefully.

"Ah ha, I see... so she's being held on this island between both lands."

"How can you tell sir?" The other Viporeon, who was a Constrictai asked.

"Because it's labeled "Lucy's hiding place," Terrin said as he pointed to the green text next to the green circle.

The Viporeon looked more carefully, and then she said, "Oohh."

Then King Terrin laid the map down, and took out a camera from his pocket. He took a few pictures of the map, and then he placed the map back under the other papers on the table.

"Let's go, quick!" Terrin said and the two Viporeons nodded.

They all immediately fled to the outside. Terrin also called the other Viporeons who came with him, and they all headed back to Fountain Falls.

The next scroll showed the Purple ninja surrounded by darkness. They were kneeling down with both hands on the floor, as the darkness surrounded them.

"As you can see here, the darkness that corrupted the people had returned in another form, and defeated the Purple ninja," Silva said, as the audience once again gasped and whispered to one another in surprise.

"The Purple ninja was defeated by the darkness?" Kai whispered.

"Oh man, poor guy," Cole whispered.

"Oh no! The Purple ninja," Christa whispered, as the others looked on, sad by this discovery.

Then Silva scrolled down and showed an image of the Green ninja on both knees with both hands on their face, and in the background showed a dark form attacking Aeroplane.

"Upon this part of the scroll," Silva continued, "Shows that after the Purple ninja's demise, the Green ninja had suffered over losing the Purple ninja, which was just what the darkness needed to start the destruction of Aeroplane. However..."

Silva clicked the button on the device and another scroll was shown. It showed the Green ninja glowing golden in an energy ball of gold, as the darkness was trying to fight the Green ninja.

"In this part, the Green ninja had gained their composure and began to fight the darkness back."

Silva scrolled down, and the next part of the scroll showed the Green ninja grabbing the darkness and flying downward towards the land below.

"Here we see that the Green ninja had gained an advantage over the darkness. As it says on the scroll, 'the Green ninja plummeted down with said darkness in their grasp to the land below, and was able to seal the darkness deep into the dark depths of the ground, by giving their life. Never to be seen again.'"

The audience was like "Ooooo, Aaaaa."

"Woah... The Green ninja fought the darkness _and_ sealed it away," Cole whispered, as Zane whispered,

"And even during an emotional turmoil, they were able to gain the necessary strength they needed to do so."

Then Silva clicked a button which showed a white screen, and said,

"So you see, there was the First Green and Purple ninja who purified the people of darkness. Then when the darkness returned in another form, the Purple Ninja was defeated. After this loss, the Green ninja fought the darkness and sealed them underground."

Silva then put her hands behind her back, and said,

"So, the only reason the darkness was defeated was because the Green ninja fought the darkness. Of course, even though the Purple ninja was gone, the Green ninja was _still_ able to fight..."

Then Silva smirked and said, "Of course, the Green ninja was only able to _seal_ the darkness, not technically defeat it... excuse me, _him_."

The audience looked at each other confused.

"As it turns out," Silva said as she continued, "If the Purple ninja was to let's say JOIN the dark side, then maybe the darkness would have been able to defeat the Green ninja and rule!"

The audienced nodded, except the Ninja and Kunoichi, as Silva continued,

"Well, since the Green ninja was already found, we have only one alternative now at least... We must find the next Purple ninja and have them join our side to prevent the Green ninja from conquering Darkness again!"

"How do we find this Purple ninja?" One person in the audience asked.

"Well, let me show you," Silva said, as she pressed the button and another scroll appeared.

This scroll showed a person in purple clothes holding an orb in the air, as light emitted from it, and there were four people standing in the background holding four weapons.

"Those weapons look like the Platinum weapons," Christa whispered, as Auria and Raven nodded.

"This is how we find the next Purple ninja. When the chosen one holds the orb up as in this picture, the orb will help unlock the powers of the Purple ninja within that person," Silva said.

"But where would we find that orb?" One of the people said.

"We believe that the Purple ninja's orb, is infact the Viporeon pearl!" Silva said, as the people looked towards one another.

"The pearl," Raven whispered, as she looked towards Lloyd and he looked back at her, stunned by this new information.

"Well, we believe this to be so. The pearl and the orb in this picture look relatively similar... so yeah," Silva sais, as the audience nodded.

Then Silva raised her hands towards the audience and said, "Now my friends! Do you see what we have here? When we find the Purple ninja and have them join our side, then we can conquer ALL of Ninjago! Or we could get rid of the Purple ninja, and then the Green ninja too! He won't be able to stand against us alone, I should know of course..."

Lloyd was about to stand up, but Christa held him down to his seat and shook her head as she said, "This isn't the time or place to lose your head Lloyd. Do not be so easily angered, or the enemy will have the advantage over you before the fight even starts."

Lloyd signed, as he calmed himself down, while Raven placed her hand on his hand and nodded. Lloyd nodded back and held Raven's hand.

"Why should we help you?!" A bandit said, as Silva lowered her hands.

Then others of the audience spoke:

"This isn't such a legitimate plan!"

"There are holes in this!"

"You don't even have the pearl, orb, whatever!"

"Who knows who the Purple ninja could be! What if the ninja found them already?!"

"What of this 'Darkness' that attacked Aeroplane?!"

"Yeah, does he even exist?!"

"You have no true back up for this besides drawings on paper!"

As the audience ranted, the lights were turned back on and the screen behind Silva slowly lifted, as she took a few steps to the side.

"Oh, I believe _**I**_ can be of assistance..." When this mysterious voice was heard, the people quieted down as the screen rose up.

A person was actually behind the screen, but he wasn't like anyone that anybody has ever seen, even with his black hood on. The Ninja and Kunoichi froze up when they saw him.

Then Silva said, "Eh hem. Let me introduce you all to the dark power that threatened Aeroplane all those years ago. His name is... **Darkness**."

Darkness slowly lifted his hand, as he removed his hood...

**Oh... snap...**


	31. Chapter 31 Darkness

**Fun Fact: This was actually the first chapter I wrote for this story before I really started writing this story out... about two years ago... **

His hood was slowly pushed off, and the first glimpse was that of the pale moon, which was his skin color. His eyes came into view and they were of a red, blood color with burgundy pupils. The top of his hood was off and his black hair spiked upward while some spikes went downward on his face as bangs of some sort. His eyes reflected the pain that he ensued upon his victims or to those who crossed his path to chaos. His smile was of a sly and haphazard happiness that even those with strong constitutions would be left in a cold sweat. He wore black clothes with a blood red sash across his waist, and a grey band on the edges of his sleeves, pants, and cape that reach his feet.

As his eyes shifted across the room, his facial expression stood exactly the same while everyone else became either frightened, interested, or full of amazement. The Ninja and Kunoichi were alarmed by his sudden appearance, but now they felt pure terror and astonishment at the man who stood before them. They couldn't take their eyes off of him. He had such a power over everyone in the room, even over the air that was now dark and silent.

Then he spoke again, in his dark, mysterious, and somewhat sultry voice,

"I know, I know. Your all wondering how I am alive or if I am real, but I can assure you, I _**am**_ alive and _**very **_real. I've been sealed within the depths of this world for a long time, and now I am finally free. Free to finish where I had started all those years and years ago. However, even I need assistance. That's why I instructed Silva to gather the most ruthless cut-throats within Ninjago and beyond, to stand together and rule over the whole world in _**our**_ way."

The people in the audience became intrigued and moved slightly forward, tilting their heads to the side to get a good ear to listen to this man's proposal,

"We will stand forth and take our places among those fools who put themselves above us! Whether in Ninjago city, Aeroplane, or any other land! We will stand and rule them all! Overthrow their laws and create our own laws! Rule with me you fools, let me stand as your leader and take back what is rightfully ours: The Whole World!"

The audience had become excited and exhilarated. They were clapping, cheering, pounding the tables and the floors, and they were whistling in delight. The Ninja and Kunoichi joined in, but limited themselves to clapping, nervously.

"Who will join me?!" Darkness said with his hands up in air.

Everyone stood up at the same time, arms flailing in the air, and cheers roaring around the room.

"Well isn't he a great motivational speaker," Bronze said, while Luna just signed.

Pythor turned to Marcell and asked, "Your majesty, were you aware of this man?"

Marcell just stood looking at Darkness with a serious expression, and without turning away she said in a low voice with a hint of anger,

"No."

Pythor then turned his attention back to Darkness, who was actually looking in their direction with a devious look in his eyes and a smirk. Pythor, Bronze, and Luna all shivered when he looked at them, while Marcell stood stiff and serious.

"Let's get out of here." Cole whispered to the two groups, and with that the ninja and kunoichi maneuvered their way out of the building without being detected by the unruly crowd. They continued out the front door, and slowed down their pace to not look so suspicious to any other evil-doers who may be roaming the immediate area.

When they were far enough, the ninja and kuniochi increased their pace to full speed towards the Grim Glider.

As they ran on deck, Garmadon was there, waiting for their return, and said,

"Your back. What-"

"Let's get OUT OF HERE!" Kai called out.

Garmadon nodded and spoke through a walkie-talkie, "Nya they're here lets go!"

"Roger that," She replied.

As the Grim Glider's engines began to roar, the ninja and kunoichi were ready to head inside.

Then Flare appeared from within the Grim Glider and said,

"Your back already huh? Come on lets get inside."

However, Garmadon had frozen in place near the entrance of the Grim Glider. He was staring at something near the bow of the ship, and his eyes were stricken with some form of fear. The ninja and kunoichi turned around to see red eyes under a black hood, staring at them with a darkening curiosity.

Cole, Kai, Zane, Sensei Wu, Auria, Christa, Raven, Lloyd, and Flare all stared in a horrifying shock and bewilderment.

'How did he get here?'

'When did he get here?'

'What is he?'

'Why?'

'What?'

These were the questions that the ninja and kunoichi were too frightened and paralyzed to ask out loud in that moment.

Then, Darkness asked,

"Where are you going? You do not wish to join us?"

Cole was able to swallow whatever fear had blocked his vocal cords and reply,

"Well, um, your proposal was an... interesting one, b-but my fellow fiends prefer to work alone. I mean, it's not like your plan isn't brilliant, but, you know, how it is..."

Darkness thought about this for a moment, and then he replied,

"Oh, I understand. I won't force you to join my crew. It's no big deal."

As Darkness turned to walk away, the ninja and kunoichi were relieved to know that he was leaving, but since fear had silenced their tongues, they couldn't sign in relief. Then, the fear crawled back into their lungs, as Darkness' pace suddenly stopped. He slowly turned his head back to the group, but his eyes rested upon Raven. He had a devious, yet suave smile etched on his face that made Raven slightly twitch in nervousness. Then he said,

"We have more in common than you think, little one. I look forward to seeing you later."

And with that, he was gone. He seemingly vanished into the darkness of the night.

Once it was clear that he had gone, everyone scrambled within the Grim Glider. As fast as Darkness disappeared, so did the Grim Glider in the clear night sky.

Inside, after changing back to their normal clothes, the ninja, kunoichi, and everyone else stood in the main control. After Sensei Wu explained what recently occured with Darkness on the Grim Glider, everyone else was sitting silently or standing around the table:

Kai was rubbing his forehead,

Flare was sitting across from him looking down at the table in search for answers as to how a person could be so dark,

Zane was staring at the table in disbelief of what just occured,

Auria was sitting next to him, thinking the same thing and not being able to deny it true,

Lloyd was with one hand on his head with his elbow resting on the table, trying to sort out his troubled mind when he saw Darkness,

Raven was sitting next to him, thinking about what Darkness had recently told her,

Christa was staring at her hands on the table, trying to calm her mind down from the rush of questions,

Cole was laying his head on the table, in relief of being able to get Darkness to leave them alone,

Garmadon was looking down and slightly shaking,

Misako noticed Garmadon's react, and she placed her hand on his hand to try to comfort him,

Jay was nervously tapping his hand on the table,

Nya was typing on the main computer but she could feel the tension in the room,

Sensei Wu was drinking his tea and watching everyone, waiting for someone to speak up,

Violet was leaning on the wall, with her hands crossed, also waiting for someone to speak up, and

Dareth was looking at everyone in confusion.

Then, Dareth spoke up, "So, what are we going to do now guys? About those bad guys you know?"

Jay replied, almost yelling,

"Well, what _can_ we do! The most baddest of the bad guys is trying to rule the world! With the most villianous villians on his side and who knows what kind of powers he has-"

Kai cut in, "Okay Jay, we get it! The odds are against us."

Jay replied, "I'm just saying."

Then Auria said, "He's right though. Our chances aren't very adequate."

The others looked down, while Auria lifted her head higher and said, "But that doesn't mean we should give up so easily. We are ninja aren't we?"

"And we have a samurai," Christa said, as she looked towards Nya, who turned towards her and nodded.

"Auria's right. Now's not the time to give up. Now is the time we step up and fight," Lloyd said, as stood up and nudged his fist into his palm.

Then Cole said, "Yeah! Let's show these guys not to mess around with ninja."

Cole also stood up, and nodded in Lloyd's direction. Then, everyone looked towards one another with confidence.

"Yeah, let's do it!" -Christa

"We got this!" -Kai

"Ninja never quit!" -Jay

"Let's show'em who's boss." -Flare

"The old-fashioned way." -Nya

"And... what do you plan on doing?" -Violet

Everyone turned towards Violet, who had a slight smirk on her face since she knew the answer to her question by everyones' blank stares.

Then Jay replied, "We will... uh... we... what do you think Sensei Wu?"

Everyone turned towards Sensei Wu, as he sipped his tea and set his cup on the table. Then, Sensei Wu took a breath and opened his mouth to speak, as everyone listening intently.

"I... have no clue." -Sensei Wu

"Uhhhh..." Everyone said at the time, with their heads hanging low and some with their hands on their faces including Kai, Cole, Christa and Violet.

Raven didn't react much because she was lost in thought.

("We have more in common than you think little one. I look forward to seeing you later.")

Those words were floating within Raven's mind, as she pondered their meaning, until Lloyd placed his hand on her shoulder and snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Raven, are you okay?" Lloyd asked in concern.

Raven looked at him and replied to the best of her ability, "Oh I'm... I'm ok-"

Raven was cut off by Flare,

"Okay? After what just happened with that dark guy? I'll be surprised if your okay, especially after what he said."

Raven looked down before replying,

"He said we had more in common than I thought, but I don't understand what he's talking about. I'm nothing like him. He's, well, evil... and I'm not. And if he_ is_ the darkness from the scrolls, which is perfectly clear he is, than what relation could he have to me? We can't be related or even alike..."

Everyone pondered this for a moment, and then Nya replied,

"Well, maybe he's just trying to confuse you. You know, to disrupt your focus."

Then Misako said, "I agree. Maybe he's trying to throw you off your guard."

"Yes, it may be best not to think too much about it," Garmadon said.

Raven thought about this, and then she lifted her head up and said, "Okay... Okay! Thank you."

Raven finally let out a smile, and Christa said, "It's nice to see you smile Raven. You feel better?"

"Mmhm." Raven replied with a nod, which made Lloyd smile at her.

"Okay, so what's the plan guys?" Flare asked, casually leaning on the table with one arm.

Auria replied, "Well, we should start by examining the scrolls."

Auria placed her hand near her ear, as she stood up. A clicking sound was heard and her left eye was covered by a small, blue, transparent screen which projected an image on the table. Everyone was surprised and impressed, besides the girls. A scroll appeared on the table with the images that were shown during the evil meeting in the projection.

"I was able to capture the images of the scrolls as Silva showed them during the meeting. I hope this helps."

"Are you kidding. It's perfect!" Kai replied.

"Yes, the images are perfectly displayed in a clear visual presentation." Zane said.

"Thank you Zane." Auria replied and she looked towards Zane, as he nodded.

"When were you able to do that?!" Jay asked.

"Since she became a cyborg silly," Christa replied.

"Remember Jay? Auria and Christa told us about it that time after training," Nya asked, and Jay rubbed the back of his head and replied,

"Oh yeah, I knew that."

Misako stood up and looked at the scrolls.

"Interesting," she said and continued, " The Green Ninja, and the Purple Ninja... Both of them fought together on what looks to be Aeroplane."

Cole stood closer to the scroll and said, "Yeah. Silva was talking about how the Green Ninja and the Purple Ninja saved Aeroplane that time from darkness."

"She also spoke about how the Purple Ninja was defeated by Darkness, which we can safely presume is the man we saw today," Sensei Wu said, as he siped his tea.

"Yes, that's unfortunate." Misako replied.

The Auria said, "It looks as though after the Purple Ninja's defeat, the Green Ninja of that time was mourning over them, which is what gave Darkness the upper hand for awhile."

Lloyd looked at the scroll of the Green ninja in mourning and Darkness attacking Aeroplane in the background. He stood looking at the Green ninja, as he thought,

_'If your the first, then I'm second... but, who are you?' _

"But the Green Ninja was able to beat Darkness. It shows it right here," Jay said, as he pointed to the holographic scroll.

"Not necessarily. The First Green Ninja only sealed the darkness, they didn't technically defeat him," Zane explained.

"Well then, what are _we_ going to do? I mean, the Purple Ninja couldn't beat Darkness, and the Green Ninja, technically, didn't beat Darkness either. What chance do _we_ have of doing anything different?" Kai asked, which left a moment of silence in the room.

Then Christa broke the silence, "Hold on. The only reason the Green Ninja didn't fight was because of what happened to the Purple Ninja. Well, what if the Purple Ninja was never harmed? Then both the Green Ninja and the Purple Ninja would have been able to beat Darkness together. I mean, after all, the Green Ninja _was_ strong enough to push Darkness underground and seal him for _this_ long, right?"

Everyone thought about this.

"Yeah, your right... and if we could find the Purple Ninja before Darkness does, then maybe we'll be able to defeat Darkness _and_ his army," Flare said, as she sat up.

"That may work, but how do we find the Purple Ninja? And how do we know if they will join us in battle?" Garmadon questioned.

"I may be able to answer that brother," Sensei Wu said, as he stood up.

"Auria, if you may?"

"Of course Sensei Wu."

Auria projected a new scroll on the table, which showed the Purple Ninja holding a purple orb in the air.

"As you can see," Sensei Wu said and continued, "The Purple Ninja can be revealed with the object in the Purple Ninja's hands."

Sensei Wu pointed to the item in question.

As the others tried to examine the sphere, Nya asked Auria to zoom in on the it. Auria did as instructed, and revealed the sphere to be similar to that of the Viporeon pearl.

Raven's eyes widened, as she said, "So it _is_ the Viporeon pearl! I recognize that design from anywhere! Silva was right."

"Then all we need is the pearl," Violet said, as she stood closer to the table.

"Hm, it looks like there were others who wielded the platinum weapons before you girls," Misako said, as Auria, Christa, Flare, and Raven nodded.

"Yes. So there's going to be the Purple ninja _and _the four platinum weapon users," Sensei Wu said, as the girls once again nodded.

"Or more..." Flare whispered, and Christa looked towards her.

"Well, what are we waiting for? We have to get the pearl and find the Purple Ninja before they do. Then we can put an end to Darkness' twisted plans," Cole said.

"I agree, who else does?" Christa asked, as she raised her hand.

Everyone nodded, and raised up one hand.

"Then let's go get that pearl!" Dareth said, as he fist pumped once in the air.

"Alrighty then, let's head back to Fountain falls to see if King Terrin found anything," Nya said, as she typed in the coordinates into the Bounty's computer.

"Okay everyone, let's return to our rooms and get some sleep. We've had a long day, and tomorrow may not be as pleasant if we're all worn out. Goodnight," Sensei Wu said, as he slowly exited the room.

"Night Sensei." "Night Wu." Everyone said.

"Well, -yawn- we better get some shut eye too," Jay said.

"Yeah. I actually agree with Jay," Flare said, as she stood up and exited the room, along with Christa, Auria who turned off the hologram, Misako, Nya, Violet, and Raven last.

"Goodnight Raven," Lloyd said, as Raven started to follow the other girls, which made her turn towards him.

"Goodnight Lloyd," Raven said, as she smiled sweetly to Lloyd, as he smiled to her with loving eyes.

After Raven left, Lloyd turned back to see the other guys, including his father, looking at him with smirks.

"What?" Lloyd asked innocently.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all, _right_ guys?" Kai said, gesturing toward the others in the room.

"Oh yeah sure." -Cole

"Yup, nothing here." -Jay

"I haven't the faintest idea." -Zane

"Nope, nothing." -Dr. Julien

Lloyd wasn't very amused at this, especially since his father was smirking at him too, but he decided not to go on about it.

Then the ninja, Dr. Julien, and Garmadon exited the Bounty's main computer room and headed off to sleep. Nya also put the Bounty on auto-pilot so that she could go to sleep too.

However, as our heros slept, evil was wide awake...

"WHO let them in?! WHO gave them tickets?! WHO didn't follow MY ORDERS?!" Silva bellowed, as she flung a bowl of spaghetti at the wall, which shattered the bowl into pieces with the spaghetti on top.

"Darkness told me that the ninja and kunoichi got in! Now there's kunoichi! So I want to know, WHO let them IN?! And WHO gave them tickets to even GET IN HERE?!"

Silva was standing on a table, looking among the wide-eyed and horror-stickened crowd of miscreates before her.

"I'll tell you this, when I find who did this... You _will_ pay!"And with that, Silva jumped off the table and headed outside onto her ship.

"Let's go! NOW!" Silva screamed out, which led to a scramble of the people returning to their vehicles.

One person in particular, stood alone upon the tip of the bow on Silva's ship. He thought back to what his mother had said, and slightly chuckled, as he thought,

_'Oh mother, I do hope you'll forgive me...' _

Then Ryan looked up at the stars, and thought, _'I hope I__ made__ the right choice. Lest we all fall to Darkness...'_


	32. Chapter 32 Returning to Fountain Falls

The Grim Glider(Bounty, they didn't remove the paint) was set on course back to Fountain Falls. In the morning the next day after the evil meeting, some of the Ninja were kind of tired since they couldn't sleep well after what occured the day before. Everyone was in the control room, except Raven and Lloyd who were on deck.

"Oh man I could barely sleep last night," Kai said, with his head laid on the table.

"I know, after what happened yesterday, I couldn't keep my eyes closed either," Cole said as he yawned.

"Aw, you couldn't sleep too?" Christa said, as she looked towards Cole, concerned.

"Yeah. Who could sleep after seeing _that_ guy? He appears out of nowhere on the Bounty, and then he teleports somewhere else," Cole said, as Flare responded,

"He didn't teleport actually."

Everyone turned towards Flare, as she sat besides Kai with her hands folded.

Then she said, "He actually jumped and ran. He was just so fast that it looked as if he teleported."

The majority in the room gasped, as Jay said, "Woah wait, you mean to tell me he was _that_ fast? Even faster then..."

"Even faster than _you_ Jay?" Cole asked with a smirk, as Jay turned to him quick and said,

"No! I mean uh... no one could be _that_ fast, heh heh, right?"

Jay gestured towards Flare, as she shook her head.

"He was _that_ fast. I sensed his movements. It wasn't like Ryan or Silva, they actually disappeared for a moment. He was actually still on my radar... though very subtle," Flare said.

Jay gulped and lowered his hand.

"Darkness is very powerful," Auria said and continued, "and we can safely assume that during all these years he has been in captivity, that his power has only grown stronger."

After a moment of silence, Zane said, "How are we to defeat such a powerful adversary?"

"Hey, come on guys lighten up!"

Everyone turned to look at Dareth, who was standing where the window was adjacent to Violet, who leaned against the wall with her arms folded.

Then Dareth continued, "I mean, come on, I've known you guys long enough. Especially the guys, no offense ladies..."

He started to walk around the room as he spoke,

"You guys fought the Great Devourer, and you defeated the Overlord. Of course I helped, but that was because of _you_ guys. The reason I even _wanted_ to become a ninja was because of you guys. I may not have spinjitzu like you guys and gals do, but I can see that spinjitzu alone won't stop Darkness. It's the people who _use_ the spinjitzu that can overcome any darkness or evil that shows it's face... So what do you say, let's take down this Darkness guy once and for all!"

Kai nodded at Dareth, as did Cole and Zane.

Jay started to sniffle a bit and said, "Yeah, that's right."

Christa nodded, as did Auria, and Flare said,

"Huh... your actually right."

"Great speech Dareth. You _are_ a fine ninja indeed," Sensei Wu said, as he placed his hand on Dareth's shoulder.

Then Dareth started to sniffle and said, "Thank you Sensei... um... I need a moment to... gain my composure."

Dareth quickly walked over to the window and stood looking away, as the others just looked at one another and shrugged. When no one else was paying attention for that moment, Violet said to Dareth,

"Great speech indeed Dareth. I'm impressed."

Dareth turned to Violet, stunned, and then he smiled, as Violet smiled back.

"He's right. As long as we're all together, our light will always conquer the darkness," Misako said, as the others nodded.

"Alright, so what's the plan now?" Kai asked.

"We should first speak to King Terrin, and see if he has learned something about Lucy's whereabouts," Sensei Wu said.

"Then we should retrieve the Viporeon Pearl, and see if we could find the Purple ninja before Darkness does," Garmadon said.

"Doesn't Raven possess the pearl?" Zane asked, as Auria answered,

"Actually, she returned the pearl to it's sanctuary about a week ago."

"Where is this sanctuary?" Dr. Julien asked.

"Only a Viporeon or Raven and her father know where the sanctuary is," Christa said.

"Wait, but didn't Marcell find the sanctuary already?" Cole asked, as the room stood silent for a moment.

"You... don't think Marcell actually _told_ them where it is, right?" Jay asked, as more silence filled the room...

"We have to talk to King Terrin and retrieve the pearl! Marcell is not officially with us, so there is a chance she already told them!" Sensei Wu said, and Nya responded,

"I'm already on it Sensei! And with the new gear and improvements on the Bounty, we should get to Fountain Falls in no time."

Jay walked over to the computer and started typing, "Yeah! I've been wanting to test out the new boosters for a while now."

"Someone should tell Lloyd and Raven before they go flying off the Bounty," Cole said, as Kai said,

"You mean 'Grim Glider.'"

Flare chuckled and said, "Yeah Cole, it's the 'Grim Glider' now."

Cole just shrugged and said, "Alright, alright, the 'Grim Glider' then."

Kai stood up and said, "I'll go get'em."

But before Kai took a step, Misako said, "Sensei Wu already went to fetch them."

The Ninja looked around the room, since they didn't realize he already left.

"Man, for an old guy, he's pretty light on his feet, huh?" Flare said, as the others agreed.

"So what do think?" Raven asked, as Lloyd thought for a moment.

They both stood on the upper deck of the Grim Glider. Lloyd was looking over the side railing, while Raven stood looking ahead of the Grim Glider. Then Lloyd turned to look at Raven, as she looked at him.

"I don't know," he said almost sadly and continued, "I didn't even know there was _another_ Green ninja before me. I thought I was the only one... but after seeing the scrolls and Darkness... there's no way I can deny it... and even the Purple ninja. I didn't know there was a Purple ninja either. All this stuff I didn't know..."

Lloyd looked away, deep in his thoughts. Then Raven moved closer to Lloyd, and she placed her hand on his shoulder. Lloyd looked towards Raven, and she said,

"It's alright Lloyd. No one knew about any of this either. Not even Sensei Wu, and he knows a lot of things."

Lloyd just smirked, and then he said, "But how are we suppose to find the Purple ninja? They could be anyone..."

Raven took her hand off Lloyd's shoulder and said, "Well, if the Green and Purple ninja were friends before, then maybe it's someone you already know."

Lloyd thought about it, and then he said, "So the Purple ninja... could be anyone on the Bounty."

"Grim Glider," Raven corrected with one hand up, as Lloyd nodded and said,

"Oh yeah, Grim Glider."

They both started to laugh, and then they made eye contact and just stood there, lost in each other's eyes. They moved closer together, holding hands, until they heard someone say,

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting?"

Lloyd and Raven jumped back from one another, as they turned and saw Sensei Wu standing there with his walking stick.

"Uh, Uncle! Um, no, your not interrupting." -Lloyd

"We weren't really doing anything anyway." -Raven

"Yeah, heh heh," Lloyd was rubbing the back of his head and Raven was twiddling her hands, as they both were blushing.

Sensei Wu just smiled and said, "Well then, I hope your both ready. We have to hurry to Fountain Falls. We just realized something crutial."

Lloyd and Raven straightened up, as Lloyd asked,

"What is it?"

Sensei Wu answered, as he stroked his beard,

"We've just realized that Darkness is most likely trying to possess the Purple ninja's orb, the Viporeon pearl, to find the Purple ninja. And if memory serves me correctly, Marcell was the one who found the pearl in the first place, so she would know where the sanctuary is and may have already informed him of it's whereabouts."

Then Raven said, "So, they may be on their way there now."

Sensei nodded and said, "We must speak to your father first, Raven, to see what he has learned about Lucy, and then we must hurry to the sanctuary."

Raven nodded and said, "Yeah, the sanctuary isn't too far from where we're meeting my dad anyway."

Then Lloyd said, "But we have to be careful. We wouldn't want Darkness or anyone following us to Fountain Falls."

Sensei nodded and said, "Yes, that is why we have to go below deck. We're using the boosters and we wouldn't want any accidents."

Lloyd and Raven nodded towards one another, as they started walking.

"Then let's go," Lloyd said, but Sensei Wu didn't move.

"What is it Uncle?"

"Is something the matter?"

Lloyd and Raven asked, as Sensei Wu looked at both of them and said,

"Lloyd, I haven't told you about the vision I had, did I?"

Lloyd was confused as he said, "No. When was this?"

Sensei nodded and said, "I'll explain as we head inside. Raven, even though I already told you, it may be best to hear it again."

Raven nodded towards Sensei Wu, as Lloyd looked at Raven with a raised eyebrow, and she half smiled at Lloyd. The three walked down to the deck and within the Grim Glider, as Sensei Wu told Lloyd about the vision.

After Sensei Wu explained the dream to Lloyd, and Raven explained what her father told her, Lloyd took a moment to take in what he just heard. Halfway through the hall of the Grim Glider, Lloyd stood thinking about this with a tense expression on his face, while Sensei Wu and Raven waited to hear his response.

Then Lloyd looked up at them and said, "So, the hooded person... that must be Darkness... and I had to fight him."

Sensei Wu and Raven looked down sadly, as Lloyd also looked down, with furrowed brows. Then Lloyd looked up at Raven and walked closer to her. She looked up at him a bit confused, until he placed one hand on her shoulder and said,

"Raven, I _will_ protect you. Darkness will not lay one hand on you if I have something to say about it. I'll always be there for you, no matter what."

Raven smiled and nodded towards Lloyd. Sensei Wu looked at both of them and smiled.

"That's so cute."

Raven, Lloyd, and Sensei Wu turned and saw the ninja and kunoichi looking at them from the control room. Lloyd took his hand off Raven's shoulder, as they both straightened up with a light blush on their faces. Sensei turned to the ninja and kunoichi with a serious expression, as their eyes widened and they ran back into the control room. Sensei Wu turned to Lloyd and Raven and nodded, as he walked back into the control room. Lloyd and Raven smiled at Sensei as he entered the room. Then Raven turned towards Lloyd and looked at him lovingly, as she moved her hand over his hair since one lock was out of place. Lloyd turned towards Raven and smiled at her, as he stroked her hair. He became a little sad when he thought about the vision, as Raven took noticed.

"Lloyd, I believe in you. I trust you'll be there when I need you, and I'll be there for you too," Raven said, as Lloyd looked into her gleaming eyes and said,

"I know."

They both smiled and held hands, as they walked into the control room.

"There's our favorite people," Flare said, with her cheek resting on her hand, as Raven and Lloyd sat down together.

"Alright guys, let's get this thing moving!" Jay said excitedly, as he hit a large blue button that shifted the gears in the Grim Glider and it set off in top speed. Everyone in the Grim Glider wasn't effected much by the speed, so they didn't go flying into the wall, but they could feel that they were moving really fast.

"Woohoo. Those boosters _are_ fast," Cole said, as he stood up and felt the turbulence even more.

"That's Aeroplane tech for ya. We're already used to making boosters and stuff for the aerocars and aerocycles, so I guess you can say we are Boost Masters," Christa said to Cole with a smile, as he nodded towards her and smiled back.

"That's why I said don't hit the blue button on the aerocars," Flare said in a nonchalant voice, as she looked towards Zane and Lloyd, and they looked towards one another, nervously.


	33. Chapter 33 Are We Almost There?

"We're here!" Jay said, as the Grim Glider slowed down and landed.

They were outside of Fountain Falls in an area of tall trees where they were to meet King Terrin.

After the Glider landed and the ramp was laid out, the Ninja crew walked down the ramp to see King Terrin in serpent-form and a few Viporeons.

"Hey Daddy," Raven said, as she hurried over to her father.

Terrin smiled, as he gave Raven a hug when she approached him.

"Oh Raven, I'm glad your alright," Terrin said, and Raven nodded.

"We made sure she was safe your highness," Christa said, and he nodded towards her.

"Good. I'm relieved to ssssee that all of you are alright. I've got sssome information I think you all would be pleassssed to hear," King Terrin said, as he took out his little camera from his pocket-bag.

"You found out where Lucy is being kept?" Jay asked, and Terrin nodded.

Violet took a few step forward, and asked, "D-Did you really find out?"

Terrin again nodded with a smile, as he passed his camera to Auria, and said

"We found a map that showed where Lucy issss being kept. I took a picture of it."

Auria nodded to Terrin, and said, "I'm sure this will greatly assist us, your majesty."

"Good... Sssso," Terrin said and asked, "What happened during the meeting?"

Everyone turned to one another, and then they all looked down with some distress.

"It'ssss more dire than we expected huh?" Terrin asked.

Sensei Wu looked up at him and replied, "I fear it is, your highness. A man named 'Darkness' had appeared during the meeting, and he seems to be working with Silva. They wish to find the Purple ninja and use their power together to defeat the Green ninja and rule over all of Ninjago."

Terrin's eyes widened, as the other Viporeons with him gasped.

"Hm, Darkness eh? I've never heard of him," Terrin said.

"He was an evil force that attacked Aeroplane, like hundreds of years ago," Christa said.

"He defeated the Purple ninja, and attacked the people of Aeroplane." -Auria

"The Green ninja didn't fight at first because of what happened to the Purple ninja." -Kai

"But then the Green ninja went and fought Darkness anyway." -Flare

"And then he sealed him into the ground, until now." -Cole

Terrin nodded slowly, as he took in what everyone told him.

"Well, thiss is botherssssome isn't it?"

The others nodded, as Dr. Julien said,

"But there's still hope! If we find the Purple ninja before Darkness does, then the Green and Purple ninja will be able to work together to defeat him."

The others raised their heads, as Terrin nodded and said,

"Ah, ssso there isss hope yet. But how will you find the Purple ninja?"

Cole answered, "That's why we need your help, your majesty. It's the Viporeon pearl."

"The pearl?" Terrin asked intrigued, as Garmadon clarified,

"Yes, the Viporeon pearl was the Purple ninja's orb. It can reveal who the next Purple ninja is, and help unlock their powers."

"We need to locate and retrieve the pearl before Darkness tries to get his hands on it," Zane said, and Terrin nodded and said,

"Of course. Your not too far from the ssssanctuary. Raven, do you think you know the way to get there from here? Remember that sssstream and the tree?"

Raven nodded, "Yes, I remember."

Terrin nodded, "Good. Go quickly then, all of you. Time isn't being sssso kind right now."

The Ninja Crew nodded, and then they ran back towards the Bounty.

"Thanksss Daddy," Raven said, as she waved to her father.

Terrin smiled and waved back, "Be careful dear one. Very careful!"

Raven smiled and nodded towards her father, and then she turned and ran up the ramp. Nya stood at the top to make sure everyone was on board. As Raven walked up, Nya put her hand on Raven's shoulder and smiled while saying,

"Don't worry Raven. We'll protect you."

Raven smiled and said, "Thank you Samurai Nya."

Nya nodded, as they headed inside.

As the Bounty flew up, Terrin and the Viporeons waved, and then they quickly ran out of sight, heading back to Fountain Falls.

The way to the sanctuary took a little while, so our Ninja heroes took time to rest a bit and just talk. Flare, Auria, Christa, Kai, Cole, Jay, Zane, Nya, Misako, and Dr. Julien were in the control room, while the others were in their rooms.

"So ladies," Jay said and asked, "How did you get your Platinum weapons? Were they passed down or something?"

Auria replied, "No. Our weapons were made many years ago by the Masters of Aeroplane, and they left the weapons in the temple that is part of our castle in Aeroplane, so that when the next masters are called, they will claim their weapon there."

Then Nya said, "Oh yeah, Flare was telling me about the masters before."

Flare nodded with her arms crossed and said, "Yup. The Masters. Of Aeroplane. Creating weapons and stuff."

Then Christa said, "Mmhm, the Masters made the weapons so that when the time comes, the weapons will call upon their new masters to wield them, so that they will protect Aeroplane and other lands of Ninjago in need."

"Ooohhh," The four ninja said simultaneously.

"So you girls are the chosen masters?" Dr. Julien asked.

Auria, Christa, and Flare nodded in unison.

"My weapon called me one day when I was just walking around Aeroplane," Flare said and continued, "It was pretty late that night and I couldn't sleep... I guess my weapon was trying to contact me or something... Anyway, then I ended up at the temple where the weapons were, and lo and behold, when I went inside the scimitars were glowing. I reached in the glass case and pulled out the weapons when I felt something in me, like, unlock... Then I went slash-happy and started cutting at everything."

Christa nodded with a frown and said, "She was on a slashing frenzy that day. Auria, and our parents had to jump her because she was all over the place!"

"Well, it was cool okay! I couldn't control myself!" Flare said, with one arm on her eyes, as Christa signed.

"Heh heh, well it's good thing we weren't there to see that," Jay said, as Auria and Christa nodded towards him.

"So, how did your weapon call you Christa?" Cole asked, as she turned towards him and smiled.

"Oh, yes. I was standing on the helipad at the castle. You know the one you landed on when you road the aerocars. Anyhoo, I started hearing a melody of some sort, and I followed the sound to the temple where the weapons were. The gauntlets were glowing, and when I put them on, I felt waves unlock from within me. After that I was able to use the Sound gauntlets ever since."

"That's-" -Cole

"So cool!" -Jay

Cole was interrupted by Jay, which made Cole flick Jay over the head, as he continued speaking,

"Yeah, that's so cool."

Jay turned to Cole while rubbing his head and said, "That's what I said."

Cole looked at Jay with one brow raised and said, "Well yeah, but I wanted to say it."

Christa just smiled at Cole, who when he turned back to her, was a little startled to see her looking at him. She smiled a little more sweetly, as Cole smiled back nervously.

Then Zane asked Auria, "So, how did you earn your weapon?"

Auria smiled and said, "I was walking by the temple, since I would occasionally check to make sure the weapons were safe, when one day, after I closed the door and was about to leave, it opened up suddenly. I tried to close it again, but it felt as if it was being blown open. I walked inside the temple, and I noticed that the Wind fans were glowing brightly. When I held the fans to take a closer look, I felt something unlock from within, which enabled me to possess and use the power of the wind and the fans."

"Whoa" the guys all said, as Auria nodded.

"So your weapons chose all of you? It's as if they're alive," Nya said, as Flare replied,

"Well yes. The weapons seem to be alive now that you think about it."

"So, who got there weapon first?" Kai asked.

"I received the Wind fans first," Auria replied.

"Then me," Christa said, cheery.

"Then me," Flare said, as she flipped her hair.

Then Dr. Julien asked, "Fascinating. So how did Raven obtain her weapon?"

The girls were about to answer, but then they stood silent thinking.

"What's the matter?" Kai asked, as the girls thought a little more.

"Um, uh, actually... we never asked her about that," Christa said, as she looked toward Auria and Flare, who shook their heads.

"One day we just found her and she was using it. We never asked how... why didn't we ask?" Flare asked, as Auria and Christa shrugged.

"Eh, we could ask her when she comes in," Jay said, as the others just agreed.

After a moment of silence, Kai asked, "Sooo any ideas who the Purple Ninja could be?"

The others in the room grew curious, especially the guys.

"Well, if it's anyone, it might be me. You know, since Lloyd and I _are_ best friends," Jay said.

"What?! Your not Lloyd's best friend! If it's anyone it's me. I taught the kid how to use Earth," Cole said.

"Uh, yeah, but I taught him how to use Lightning, AND he mastered it perfectly," Jay said, crossing his arms.

"What are you talking about? Lloyd learned that by himself, all you did was show him how to break light-bulbs!" Kai said, pointing at him.

Jay looked at Kai in distaste.

"Kai is right Jay, and besides, I think you can all can agree that_ I_ am Lloyd's best friend _and _the most capable of being the Purple Ninja," Zane said.

"Where did you get _that_ idea from?!" Cole asked, with a raised eyebrow.

Then Jay said, "I think you have a few screws lose Zane."

"But I am fully operational and intact," Zane replied, and Jay face-palmed as Cole shook his head.

Then Kai said, "Well guys, I hate to break it to ya, but I _was_ the one who saved Lloyd from the volcano in the fire temple when it erupted, and I _was_ the one who trained him most of the time... So that makes _me_ Lloyd's best friend _and_ the Purple Ninja."

"Kai, YOUR the reason Lloyd was in danger in the first place!" Jay replied while standing up.

Then Kai stood up and said, "What?! How do you figure that?!"

Then Jay shouted, "You were _SO_ desperate to become the Green Ninja, and Lloyd wanted to stay behind and wait for you, but since you took too long, the ledge ended up breaking under his feet and he was trapped with all of the LAVA!"

The others were just sitting back listening: Christa was intrigued and stood at the edge of her seat, Auria was stunned but she kept listening on, and Flare was just holding in her laughter the best she could. Misako and Dr. Julien just stood silent since they didn't want to get involved, although Misako was slowly shaking her head.

"Well I _still_ saved him didn't I?! And what were the rest of you doing?! You couldn't even catch him before he fell or pulled him back or something?! NOOO! You just ran off and _I_ saved his life!" Kai shouted back.

Before the fighting could get worse, Nya walked towards Kai and Jay, who were right in front of one another glaring, and then she put her hands on the back of each boys' head and WACK! Nya smacked both of their heads together, which made both ninja stumble back and yell out in pain while holding their heads.

Flare could no longer hold it in and she burst out laughing, which made Christa start laughing, and Auria too but she tried to cover her mouth. Misako also tried to hold her laugh, Dr. Julien just looked on in surprise, Zane was surprised too, and Cole smirked.

Then Nya said, calmly, "Look, it doesn't matter about who saved Lloyd, who trained Lloyd, or whatever. When it all comes down to it, we're a team, and when each of us does something, it's a _team_ effort. Whether it was training Lloyd, fighting the Overlord, discovering true potential, we're all still a team, and we need each other. And whether anyone on the Bounty becomes the Purple Ninja it doesn't matter who, as long as if we find that person and they're on our side, _that's_ what matters. We're suppose to protect the world, not fight over who does it better."

Jay and Kai both signed, as they nodded and turned towards each other.

"I'm sorry Jay. Nya's right," Kai said.

"Yeah. I'm sorry too," Jay said, as they both gave each other fist pounds.

"If anyone should be the Purple Ninja it should be Nya because you guys are idiots," Flare said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I bet Nya will look great in purple," Christa said, as Nya shook her head and replied,

"Oh no, I'm happy being a Samurai, and after all I gotta keep these guys in check."

Nya gestured towards the ninja.

Then Lloyd walked in and asked, "Hey guys are we almost there?"

"Let me check," Misako said, as she went towards the computer.

Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane looked towards one another, and then at Lloyd, as they all stood up and walked towards him.

"Hey, how's my best friend been doing?" Jay asked, as he put his hand on Lloyd's shoulder, while Lloyd looked at Jay with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh, fine. I guess," Lloyd replied, as Kai shoved Jay to the side and said,

"Are you sure about that, because since _I'm_ your best friend I would be more concerned."

Then Cole shoved Kai away and said, "Eh, pay no attention to them. They're just acting dumb because they know that _I'm_ your best friend, right?"

Then Kai shoved Cole back, as Jay did the same with Kai. Lloyd was just confused, and then Zane went up to Lloyd and said,

"They're just trying to see who do you refer to as your 'best friend' among us all."

As the guys quit shoving each other, Lloyd stood thinking for a moment.

"Uh well, I don't know. I mean all of you guys are my best friends. I can't choose between any of you," Lloyd said.

"Well yeah, I guess... but who's your favorite person to be around?" Jay asked, as Nya lightly punched his shoulder.

"Hey. I'm just asking..." Jay said innocently, as he rubbed his shoulder.

Nya smiled and then she whispered to Jay, "Just know, you'll always be one of _my_ favorite people to be around."

Jay was stunned, but then he smiled at Nya and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

During this time, Lloyd was thinking about Jay's question,

_'My favorite person to be around... well, _

_Kai is __cool__, but sometimes he can get hotheaded, especially when I beat him in video games... _

_Jay is alright, but then he gets all googly-eyed when he sees Nya, and his jokes aren't very funny... _

_Cole is cool __too__, but he's gone once he hears the word 'cake', and his cooking isn't good... _

_Zane is __alright too__, but he's just naturally wei- different... _

_Nya's __pretty awesome__, __but around Jay it's too lovely, but I won't judge__... _

_Christa so far has been nice, she'll always listen to what you have to say, and she likes to help anyway she could, but her hugs are deadly... _

_Auria is __really __cool __and very skilled__, but she's pretty serious though... _

_Flare is, wel__l,__ she's n__ever__ boring, but she can really get under people's skin, but I think she likes bothering people... _

_Of course I like spending time with my parents and uncle, and Zane's dad is nice, but he's kind of... old, so I can't really connect with him so much... _

_Violet is alright, she's nicer than Flare, but she's pretty serious like Auria, and I get nervous sometimes __when__ I see her fangs__ as__ she __talks,_ _it reminds me of__ when I became a vampire... _

_Dareth, well, he's another story but he's ok__ay__... _

_and Raven, -__sign- she's awesome__, and we really connect__... Raven...__'_

Lloyd started to smile when he thought about Raven, which the others noticed.

"AH HA! So you _do_ have a favorite person! Who is it?" Kai asked, as the other guys moved closer to him and the girls listened intently.

"Uh, wait, I told you before I can't really choose," Lloyd said, trying to hide who he was thinking about and his blush.

"Come on dude, just tell us. I'm sure the others won't feel bad if it's not them," Jay said jokingly, as Kai and Cole looked at him sternly.

"Lloyd just tell them so that they can sit down already," Flare said.

"Hey! Come on guys..." Christa said, as she stood up and walked next to Lloyd.

"If he doesn't want to tell you he doesn't have to, don't force it on him," Christa said, as she nodded towards Lloyd, who nodded back.

"Aw, but-" Jay was cut off when Christa turned towards him with a dark, annoyed expression on her face.

Jay just took a few steps back and hid behind Nya.

_'Wow, even __annoyed__, she's __**still**__ cute,'_ Cole thought, as he looked at Christa.

Then Christa's face turned back to normal, as she smiled.

During that, Lloyd walked next to his mother and asked, "So, are we there yet mom?"

Misako turned to Lloyd with a smile, and replied, "Yes, we're here."


	34. Chapter 34 The Pearl's Sanctuary

After parking the Bounty in a hidden area of trees and vines, only ten people decided to enter the sanctuary;

Kai, Zane, Jay, Cole, Lloyd, Flare, Auria, Christa, Raven, and Violet decided to go together,

while Nya, Misako, Garmadon, Sensei Wu, Dr. Julien, and Dareth stood behind to watch the Bounty.

"Oh my dear Violet, I wish you well as you dwell in that mysterious cave of, uh, sacred, um, sanctuary-ness and retrieve the..." -Dareth

"Viporeon pearl," -Violet

"Yes that's it! The Viporeon pearl!" -Dareth

Violet just shook her head and signed, as she went up to Dareth and gave him a peck on the cheek. He stood almost frozen, as he stared at Violet with his hand on his cheek.

"You'd better be careful Dareth while I'm gone, and take care of the others with you alright?" Violet said, as she turned to follow the others to the sanctuary.

Dareth took a moment to shake his head out of his stupor, as he called out to Violet in happiness,

"I will my darling Violet! I shall not let you down! I will protect those in need and wait for your return!"

Everyone staying on the Bounty waved at those who were leaving and wished them well.

As the Ninja, Kunoichi, and General entered the cave, they noticed that it was a pretty large entrance, and that there was no light the further you dwelled inside.

"It's getting p-pretty dark in here," Jay said nervously.

"I got it," Zane and Auria said simultaneously and activated their lights.

Zane's head was glowing, while Auria's hand was glowing a bright, pale-blue color. They both looked towards one another in surprise and then they smiled, while the others were amazed.

"Talk about having something in common," Cole said, and others nodded.

They continued onward in the cave and then they noticed a light at the end of the cave. As they drew closer and the light grew brighter, Auria and Zane turned off their lights.

As everyone entered the next area, it was a giant, circular, cave room. There were a few crystals on the ceiling that illuminated some of the room in a light blue color. There were rocky stairs that lead up to a wide platform that led to more stairs which led to another large platform, and so on to form seven staircases and seven platforms. The rest of the cave room was a bottomless pit that wasn't very visible since the crystal lights were on the ceiling. On the final platform stood a pedestal made of silver and rock, with a silver dish on the top, and the Viporeon Pearl resting on it.

"There's the pearl," Raven said, as she pointed towards the gleaming orb.

"Oh good, it's still here," Kai said, relieved.

"So Darkness hasn't come here yet. Haha! We did it!" Jay said, happily.

"Let's not celebrate just yet. We need to get the pearl out of here first," Auria said, and they all started walking up the first staircase.

"How come the pearl is over here and not at Fountain Falls?" Cole asked, and Raven replied,

"My mom thought it would be better if the pearl had it's own resting place."

"That's kind of weird though, don't ya think?" Flare asked, and Raven just shrugged.

"We'll discuss that topic at a better time. Let's just get the pearl and get out of here," Violet said, as she started walking a little quicker than the others.

"Yeah. The sooner we get it out of here, the better," Christa said, as they walked across the first platform.

Raven, Lloyd, and Violet were ahead, while the other ninja and kunoichi followed close behind them. Right when the first three started walking up the second staircase, a voice had frozen their movements... a very dark and sultry voice,

"Well, well, well. This is very nice isn't it?"

Everyone quickly turned around to see a man in a black hood, with dark red eyes, looking at them with a devious grin.

Some Minutes before:

Outside, Dareth was on patrol on the Bounty's deck, while the others were inside. He was practicing some of his... techniques.

"Oh yeah Darkness! You wanna try to mess with my girl?! And with my friends?! HiYA! Haha, the penguin, Ber Ber, the-" -Dareth

"The Fool and his Animal techniques!"

Dareth jumped, as he looked towards the railing, and saw Silva standing there with a cheeky grin, as she watched him train in amusement.

"AH! WHOA!" Dareth yelled out, as Silva just chuckled.

"So, Guy. You think your a ninja?" Silva asked, as she perfectly balanced her way across the railing.

Dareth coughed to clear his throat, and then he said. "Eh hem! Miss, I am Dareth, the Brown Ninja! And I don't_think_ I am a ninja, because I _am_ a ninja."

Silva's dark grin widened, and she asked, "Oh. Well then, you should have no problem handling a few of my minions huh?"

Silva snapped her fingers, and then six people in black and white stripped shirts with black pants, gray hoods, and various weapons jumped up on the Bounty's deck, surrounding Dareth.

"Oh...my..." Dareth said, as the minions approached him slowly.

"Hmph, you guys may outnumber me..." Dareth said, as he pulled a small flare gun from his pocket and shot upward.

Silva's people looked up at the lights in amazement at the colors and brightness, as Dareth slipped away from them. After the lights were gone, Silva's minions looked around and saw that Dareth was gone. Then they heard shuffling and turned to see Dareth, Nya in her new Samurai suit, Sensei Wu with a metal staff that had a sharp point, Misako with a hunter's knife, Garmadon with his own metal staff like Sensei's, and Dr. Julien with a tazor and...a clipboard? Anyway, then Dareth added,

"But, you can't outnumber US!"

Each side prepared for a fight, as they ran towards one another.

"Attack!" -Minion One

"Charge!" -Dareth

Silva watched the clash with interest, as she saw how skilled the others were, even though four of them were kind of old. Garmadon was dodging attacks and making his opponent attack the ship, which was pretty painful since he was kicking solid wood. Misako was also dodging, and tripping her opponent, while blocking attacks and tossing the minion overboard. Dr. Julien was blocking with his clipboard, and then he tazored the minion.

"Gotcha!" Dr. Julien said when the minion hit the floor, sparking.

Dareth was running around his opponent in a circle as he was yelling out his animal techinques, which annoyed the minion as they held their ears. Then Dareth yelled out "HEEYAH!" as he kicked the person overboard.

"Yes! I DID IT!" Dareth yelled out, happily, with his arms flailing in the air.

Sensei Wu used his spinjitzu on his opponent, as he tripped them with his metal stick overboard. Then Silva looked forward with a more stern expression, as she saw Nya walking towards her, while dragging her opponent and dropping him on the floor, and Misako, who had the same serious expression. Misako and Nya had a stare down with Silva until she smirked and pointed behind her. Nya and Misako tilted their heads to look, and their eyes widened, as they both gasped when they saw Darkness walking into the cave sanctuary. Nya was able to jump over the Bounty's railing and did a front flip as she landed on the ground below. Silva would have gone after Nya, but Misako was standing close by with her knife ready, and Silva didn't want to pass up another battle with her former friend.

As Nya started to run, Silva just smiled darkly and called out,

"Go now!"

Misako wasn't sure what Silva meant, but then Silva lunged towards her with her glove blade, as Misako readied herself for another fight.

As Nya was heading towards the cave sanctuary, she skidded to a hault as a dark flash appeared not too far in front of her.

"Ryan!" Nya said, as Ryan looked up at her.

"Nya," he said in a somber tone.

Nya held up her sword and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Stopping you from interfering with Darkness, apparently," Ryan said bluntly.

Then Nya said, "Ryan, please, we don't have to be enemies."

Ryan looked down for a moment, then he looked up and said, "I'm sorry Nya, but... this is the way it has to be."

"No it doesn't! You have a choice Ryan, even if Silva is your mother, you still have a choice..." Nya said, as she slowly lowered her weapon and looked straight into Ryan's eyes.

"And she does too," Nya added, as Ryan looked at Nya, a little stunned.

He looked away, but then he turned back towards Nya and said,

"As I said, I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do right now."

Ryan's hands started glowing white and red, as Nya raised her sword back up.

After a short stare down, they both ran towards one another: One of them was sad from what she just heard, while the other was angry from his situation.


	35. Chapter 35 Ninja vs Darkness

"Darkness," Zane said, as the others continued to look at the dark man, stunned by his sudden appearance.

"Oh, are you surprised by my presence? Heh heh. I suspected you all would be..."

After Darkness said this, the ninja and kunoichi took a step forward, while revealing their weapons. The guys with their elemental swords, the girls with their platinum weapons.

"Go," Kai said to Raven, Lloyd, and Violet.

"What? But we can't let you fight him alone," Lloyd said.

"You must retrieve the Viporeon pearl before Darkness, and you must also protect Raven," Auria said to Lloyd.

Then Flare said, "Yeah Golden boy, remember he's after Raven too."

Although Lloyd didn't want to leave them to fight alone, he stood back and nodded as he gestered to Raven and Violet to continue up the stairs with him. Violet and Raven nodded as they started running up the stairs with Lloyd, while the ninja and kunoichi took another step towards Darkness.

Darkness snickered and said, "Hm... do you really believe that all of _you_ can stop me now? Is that it? I am beyond _all_ of you... but, if you insist, I guess I could spare some time."

Darkness smirked, as he started taking a few steps towards the ninja and kunoichi.

"Be careful everyone, and be light on your feet. We don't know what kind of power he has," Auria said.

"Well, we'll have to stop him no matter what, but let's stick to that plan too," Kai said, as the others agreed.

_'This is going to be pretty fun, but...'_ Darkness thought, and then he looked up and saw Lloyd, Raven, and Violet running across the next platform.

_'I wonder how strong __**this**__Green ninja is? But let me take care of these fools__first...'_ -Darkness

Darkness stopped walking and lowered his head, and the ninja and kunoichi stood still.

After a moment, Flare gasped and yelled out, "Jump Away!"

The ninja and kunoichi did as commanded and leapt away. When they looked back where they were standing, up from the shadows on the floor, came black spikes that stuck upward in a quick instant. The ninja and kunoichi gasped when they saw this.

"WHOA look at that!" Jay yelled out.

"Oh man, we could've been skewered!" Cole also yelled out.

"Thank goodness you picked that up Flare," Christa said, as she turned to Flare, who nodded towards her.

When the spikes retracted, the ninja and kunoichi jumped back together, but they stood more forward away from where the spikes came from.

"Hehehehe," Darkness chuckled, as he turned sideways and pulled his further arm back. Then Darkness unleashed his attack, as he pushed his hand forward, and a black, fiery liquid was unleashed in a horizontal wave from his hand towards his opponents. Auria, Jay, Flare, and Christa jumped over it, while Kai, Cole, and Zane ducked under it matrix style. When Kai, Cole, and Zane stood up, Darkness was already standing in front of them.

"HOW-" -Kai

"OH-" -Cole

"WHA-" -Zane

...was all the three ninja could say when Darkness pushed his other arm forward, which sent the three guys flying back into the staircase by some invisible force.

"OOF!" The three ninja yelled out, as Darkness just laughed at them.

Flare, Christa, Auria, and Jay landed on the other side of Darkness, and they turned to see the guys go flying into the staircase.

"What the- what was that?" Flare asked, as Christa took a moment to think.

"He... just pushed them back, without even touching them," Jay said, in surprise.

_'He pushed them back... with what? An invisible power? Could it be...'_ Christa thought, but her thought were cut short.

"Yo, we have to help them!" Flare called out.

Jay and Christa snapped out of it, and then they all went running towards Darkness. Auria stood back and looked up real quick to see Lloyd, Raven, and Violet running up the third staircase.

_'Darkness is very fast. We have to stall long enough for them to escape the cave with the pearl... but he's only toying with us now...'_ Auria thought, as her fans started to glow.

Then she jumped up really high and flew just past where the others were. As she descended, she saw that Darkness had turned around and was attacking Flare, Jay, and Christa with a black whip that had a glowing white string to it. He was trying to hit the three Ninja, while they dodged and attacked, which he also dodged their attacks as well.

As Auria was about to land in front of Kai, Cole, and Zane, Darkness pulled back the whip and threw it towards the three Ninja. Once it touched the floor, a burst of swirling wind pushed back the three Ninja.

"WAAH!" Flare, Christa, and Jay yelled out, as they went flying across the platform near the first staircase.

Darkness just laughed some more, and right when he turned, Auria just landed in front of him while attacking with a vertical wind strike. Darkness' eyes widened, as he blocked himself with one arm. He was hit with the powerful attack and went flying back a couple of feet, but he didn't fall. He swipped the hand he used to block outward, and thus pushed off the wind attack. Auria looked at him sternly, as he just smiled. Then his smile faded off, as he looked to see that Kai, Cole, and Zane were up and in front of him. He heard shuffling behind, as he noticed that Flare, Jay, and Christa were behind him. The ninja and kunoichi surrounded Darkness in a circle, as they all attacked him at once.

"We're almost there!" Raven yelled out as she, Lloyd, and Violet climbed the fourth staircase.

"AAAHHH!"

The trio stopped at the top of the fourth staircase and turned to see the ninja and kunoichi sprawled around on the floor, as Darkness stood in the middle smiling.

"Oh no!" Raven said in shock and concern.

"This can't be," Lloyd said in disbelief.

"They have been subdued by him. He did it so easily," Violet said in a low voice, as they looked on and saw one of the kunoichi stand up.

One minute before:

All the ninja and kunoichi attacked at once with their elemental powers. As the elemental beams went straight for Darkness, he just smirked. Right when the elemental beams were about to hit, Darkness started spinning clockwise in a black tornado that started to spin the attacks around with him. The ninja and kunoichi stopped using their powers and watched in amazement, as Darkness continued to spin with their elemental powers spinning around him.

"How... how? H-He's using..." Jay started saying.

"He's using... Spinjitzu!" Kai yelled out, as the ninja and kunoichi looked on in shock.

When Darkness stopped spinning, the elemental attacks were reflected away from Darkness upward. The ninja and kunoichi ducked down and then they stood back up, but then Darkness started his next attack. He was spinning counterclockwise this time, and his black tornado had a crimson-glow spiraling in the center. Then he stopped spinning with his hands outward and legs apart, as the crimson energy spreaded out in a circle outward and hit each ninja and kunoichi that surrounded him. They all flew back and hit the floor, while yelling out from the impact.

They were sprawled out on the floor, as Darkness smiled and started to laugh, but he was cut off when he heard shifting behind him. He turned to see Flare standing up, breathing a little hard. She held out her scimitars of light and dark, while looking at Darkness with grave intent. Darkness just smirked at Flare, seeing that it was her stubborness that gave her the strength to stand right after his attack. Then he looked at the scimitars and he tilted his head to the side and said,

"Hmm, I wonder... why are you fighting me with a _broken_ weapon?"

Flare was surprised by his question and she replied, "What? My weapon is _not_ broken."

Flare looked down at the scimitars, and then back at Darkness.

Then Darkness said, "I've been around a very long time stubborn child, and if memory serves me correctly, which it does, there was only _one_ scimitar and it was _double_ the size of each of yours."

Then Flare said, "But I _have_ merged these halves before and they became larger, half dark and half light!"

Darkness picked up his arm and moved his hand back and forth while clicking the roof of his mouth with his tongue.

"No stubborn girl, you only _merged_ the power, not the weapon. It cannot be what it once was unless you can truly _see_ it, but I'm sure you'll figure it out... and it's _true_ name too. But for now..."

Darkness tipped his hood like a hat, while smiling with vague eyes, "Gotta go."

Before anyone could breathe another breath, Darkness vanished at light speed. The other ninja and kunoichi were rising up, but the guys were a little unorthodox.

"W-Where did he go?" Zane asked.

"He's going after them!" Flare yelled out.

Raven, Lloyd, and Violet continued climbing up after seeing Flare get up. They were on the fifth platform running, until shadow spikes appeared in front of them and they stopped. They heard laughing and they turned to see Darkness standing not too far away, with his hands behind his back. Lloyd and Violet stood in front of Raven while she stood behind them. Darkness looked right at Raven and his eyes softened just a bit to see her innocent face and eyes. Then he turned to look at Lloyd and Violet, which brought an amusement to his eyes and dark intent.

"So, you wish to stand in my way huh Green ninja? And you Violet... well, I'm not so surprised by you. I'm more curious." -Darkness

Violet's eyes closed a little more, as she looked at Darkness with much fury. Lloyd also stood looking at Darkness with anger from hurting his friends... and... something else... but... he didn't understand what it was... sadness... he couldn't decipher it, but he had no time to do so because Darkness' hands were glowing dark blue and grey.

"It seems as though you have also unlocked your golden powers dear boy. I hope to test them out," Darkness said, with his devious smirk.

Lloyd and Violet stood ready to fight, while Raven turned and saw that the shadow spikes were gone. She turned back to Lloyd and Violet, and she tried to whisper,

"Guys, I'm making a run for it to get the pearl, stall him."

Lloyd and Violet nodded. Then Darkness had an idea they were planning something, but he just wanted to see what Lloyd and Violet could do.

Lloyd gathered some of his golden power in his hands and shot a beam at Darkness. Darkness used the dark blue and grey energy in his hands to shot his own beam back at the Lloyd's attacks. During this standoff of power, Raven started running up the sixth staircase. Darkness noticed, and he added more power to his attack and cancelled off Lloyd's attack. Lloyd was surprised that Darkness easily cancelled him off, and especially when Darkness appeared in front of him ready to strike.

At this moment, Violet was able to use her grappling hook that had a double silver hook at the tip and was able to secure Darkness' hand before he could punch Lloyd. However, Darkness was able to swiftly kick his foot up with enough force to send Lloyd flying back pretty far. Lloyd was taken by surprise from the kick and was breathless for a moment.

_'W-What force...'_ Lloyd thought, as he tried to breathe.

Darkness turned to Violet with an expression that showed 'Your next.' Violet's eyes widened, as Darkness pulled Violet towards him by her grappling hook. Violet quickly pulled out a knife she carried on her back and was going to strike Darkness, but then he brought his hand in front of him towards her, which stopped her movement in mid-flight. Violet was looking around in confusion as to how she was trapped in mid-air. Then Darkness flicked his wrist and Violet was pushed away. She hit the floor and was holding her ears.

_'What- what is th-this noise?! AAHH!'_ Violet thought, as she still covered her ears in a fetal position.

Darkness just smirked and turned to see that Lloyd had summoned forth his Golden dragon to fight.

"Ah... the magnificent golden beast! It's been too long, but I have business to attend to of course," Darkness said with a sadistic smile.

"Then I'll get right to the point," Lloyd said, as the Golden Dragon roared and a wave of golden power surged towards Darkness.

However, Darkness held his forearms in front of him, side by side while his arms were glowing black and every dark hue you could think of.

As the wave of golden power clashed with Darkness' arms, there was sparks, lights, and tremors throughout the ground. Yet, to Lloyd's dismay, Darkness just broke through the golden wave by pushing it away with his arms. Then, before Lloyd could react, Darkness appeared right in front of him, standing on the Golden dragon with one normal leg while the other leg was glowing black, green, and red.

"What-!" was all Lloyd could yell out before Darkness kicked him right off of the Golden dragon with his powered up limb.

Right when Lloyd was thrown off, the Golden Dragon disappeared with a roar. Darkness back flipped off the disappearing dragon and dusted himself off with an arrogant sort of smile.

_'He's pretty strong, but...'_ Darkness' thoughts were cut short when he noticed a shadow below him and looked up to see Lloyd in the air coming down with golden energy in his right hand, ready to punch him.

Right when Lloyd was about to make contact, Darkness moved his right hand around and grabbed Lloyd's wrist. Then he grabbed Lloyd's arm and flipped him over on his back, crashing onto the floor. Lloyd yelled out from the impact, and then Darkness planted his foot on Lloyd's chest while holding his wrist.

"Interesting. You hold the same power as the First Green Ninja, and the Golden dragon style. But you seem to be missing something. How disappointing..." -Darkness

Darkness pressed his foot harder on Lloyd's chest, which made Lloyd grunt in distress from the pressure.

"All well," Darkness said, as he smirked while Lloyd looked up at him in discontent.

"It's been pretty fun boy," Darkness said and continued, "But as I said I have some business to attend to. I think you know what I'm talking about, I mean, _who_ I'm talking about."

Lloyd gasped a bit since Darkness' foot was still on his chest, and then he looked at Darkness with fury, as Darkness smiled wickedly and his eyes glowed a much brighter red. After a moment, Darkness disappeared while Lloyd yelled out the best he could,

"R-Raven! RAVEN!"

Lloyd turned over and was able to stand up, as he saw Raven turn towards him right in front of the seventh staircase. Then Raven gasped, as she saw Darkness appear on the sixth platform a short distance from where she was. Darkness looked at Raven with a slight smirk and amusement, as Raven looked at him in shock. She stepped back, as her hands went towards mouth, while Darkness slowly took a step forward.

"Hello dear child, it's so nice to see you again," Darkness said, as he smiled sweetly with a devious hint in his eyes.

Raven just continued to back up, as she looked into his glowing eyes and felt fear creeping up her spine. However, Raven stopped backing away, and shook her head as she thought,

_'No! I-I can't be afraid. Not now... I can't let the fear win.'_

Then Raven stood her ground and lowered her hands, as the fear slowly departed from her. Darkness noticed this, and he saw a boldness in her eyes as she stood her ground. He continued to slowly advance, as his smile widened, and he said,

"Well, well, dear one. I see your much more confident to stand before me."

Raven's expression became more stern as Darkness approached, but then her eyes widened when Darkness lifted up his right hand towards her direction. His eyes became a little darker, as his hand began to glow with a dark energy. Raven's hand slowly moved towards her water staff that was strapped on her back. Darkness just smiled more wickedly as Raven became a little nervous, but she still stood her ground.

The other ninja and kunoichi were running up the stairs and caught up to Lloyd and Violet. Lloyd was able to finally catch his breath, and Violet was able to shake off her confusion. Then they all started to run up the stairs to where Raven and Darkness were.

Then a roar was heard and trembling was felt in the ground. The ninja and kunoichi stopped running and looked around, as did Darkness and Raven. Then, from the almost bottomless pit, a large white dragon climbed up and planted himself between Raven and Darkness. He stood up tall with his wings spread out and his four heads growling furiously.

"Ultra Dragon!" Lloyd called out in delight, as the other ninja cheered on, besides the girls who were amazed at the awesome dragon.

Raven's mouth hung open, as she looked at the large white beast standing before her. Darkness' eyes widened, seeing the beast before him, and he said,

"So, you escaped. How interesting. Last time I saw you, you were in chains."

Raven looked towards Darkness, stunned at what he just said. Ultra Dragon snarled dangerously at Darkness, who just chuckled.

"I'm pretty surprised that your here, but apparently your intrusion has wasted too much time, and I have a schedule to keep." -Darkness

Darkness looked towards Raven, who looked back at Darkness. His evil and hollow-looking eyes made Raven nervous on the inside by just looking at them, but she kept her composure on the outside.

"Dear Raven, I must go now. But don't fret. We'll meet again of course..." Darkness said.

Darkness took a bow, and then he looked up at Raven with a dastardly smile, as he vanished again.

After a moment of silence, the other ninja and kunoichi ran up the stairs to meet Ultra dragon and Raven.

**What do you think?**


	36. Chapter 36 The Purple Ninja

"Ultra Dragon, your alright!" Lloyd said, as he ran over to Ultra dragon, and each head nuzzled his master.

"Oh man, it's been a while," Kai said.

"Yeah, we haven't seen ya in a long time huh big guy?" Jay said.

"Rocky!" Cole called out, as ran over to Rocky's head and hugged him.

"Thank goodness he's alright," Zane said, as he approached the ice dragon's head and was petting him.

"So, this is Ultra dragon?" Christa said curiously, as she slowly approached the magnificent dragon.

"Yeah, he's pretty friendly once you get to know him," Cole said, as he gestured towards Christa to come closer.

She took a few more steps closer, as Cole moved to the side and let Christa and the Ultra dragon bond by a pat on the nose. Christa smiled and continued to pet Rocky's head, as the other heads of the Ultra dragon gathered around to greet the Yellow kunoichi.

"Heh heh, hey man what's up? You got a lot of heads on your shoulders huh big guy," Christa said, as she stroked each head.

Cole smiled with his fists on hips, as he watched Christa getting along with Ultra dragon.

"What a magnificent beast, he's beautiful," Auria said, as Zane turned to her and nodded.

Kai turned and saw that Flare was standing a little off to the side in her own thoughts. He approached her and asked,

"Hey Flare, what's the matter? You haven't spoken for a while, and that's pretty odd considering it's you."

Flare looked at Kai in distaste, as he raised his hands and quickly said,

"Uh, I don't mean it in a bad way, it's just your usually the first person to talk, and I thought you would be the first to even pet the Ultra dragon, you know."

Flare just signed and looked down for a moment, and then she looked back up and said solemnly,

"Yes, I know Kai. I'm just making sure Darkness isn't around. I don't sense him anymore so I guess he really left us alone."

Flare shrugged and walked past Kai to greet the Ultra dragon. As Flare stroked the fire dragon's head, Kai looked at her in confusion with his head tilted to the side thinking,

_'That's weird. No comeback at me? And she even said my name... something's up, and I'm gonna find out what...'_

As Kai started walking towards Flare, a voice was heard saying,

"Hey guys I got it!"

The ninja and kunoichi turned, as well as Ultra dragon and Violet, to see Raven on the seventh platform, holding the Viporeon pearl up in the air and waving it a little.

"Alright Raven, you got it!" Jay said cheerfully, and then Flare said,

"About time."

"Come on guys, we got the pearl. Let's hurry up out of here and regroup," Violet said.

"Yeah, we better go quick, Darkness may have left us alone for now, but we'll have to be ready for next time," Cole said, as the others agreed.

Just as they were turning to go, Lloyd turned back and saw that Raven was still standing with the pearl up in her hand, as she was looking up at it.

"Raven, are you coming?!" He called out and received no answer.

The others turned as well and saw Raven wasn't moving.

"Raven, are you alright?" Auria asked, with no response.

"Raven, what's the matter? We gotta go," Flare said, and still there was no response.

Then the Viporeon pearl sparked, and a lavender light emitted from the pearl very brightly. The others continued to watch in amazement, as a purple beam of some sort emerged from the Viporeon pearl and wrapped itself around Raven. Then the light started to spin around faster, and faster and faster as a 'WOOO' sound was heard. The others covered their eyes, since the light became very bright, until it bursted and faded out slowly.

When the group looked back up, they were shocked and amazed at what they saw:

Raven was standing at the top of the seventh stairs, holding the Viporeon pearl with both hands in front of her. Her eyes were closed, and she stood still for a while, as the light from her clothes stood glowing. As the glowing faded off, you could see that her clothes changed and looked similar to Lloyd's second green ninja suit, but it had purple instead of green, silver instead of gold, and black was still black. However, she wore a Purple and silver belt, as well as silver shoulder armor in a scale-shape. Her black hair was flowing in an unknown wind, as her eyes slowly opened.

Raven looked down at the others and saw their shocked expressions, which made her look down at herself and her new attire. Her eyes widened, as she looked at her new clothes and then she looked quickly at the others for answers.

"Oh... my..." -Flare

"S-she's..." -Christa

"Oh man..." -Jay

"Whoa..." -Cole

"Raven..." -Auria

"So your..." -Kai

"Raven is..." -Zane

"..." -Violet

Lloyd started walking towards Raven, almost hypnotized by her, as she started walking down the seventh staircase towards him. They stood about two feet apart, Lloyd observing Raven's new appearance, while she stood looking at him, still stunned by what just happened. The others just watched, and Ultra dragon bowed low, as the two ninja looked at each other for a moment longer.

Then Raven spoke up, "L-Lloyd..."

Then Lloyd said, "Raven. Y-Your... the Purple ninja."

After a moment, Lloyd and Raven started to smile at one another.

"I'm... the Purple ninja... I'm the Purple Ninja!" Raven yelled out in surprise and delight, as she did a spin and looked at her new purple gi once more.

"This is incredible. But then again, Raven, you did say that the Purple ninja could've been _anyone _on the Grim Glider," Lloyd said with a smirk, as Raven looked up at him in surprise, remembering their previous conversation.

Raven smiled and said, "Oh wow, I did say that... but I didn't expect it was me. Oh man-"

"Oh man is right!" Flare yelled out, as everyone turned towards her, while she had her arms crossed.

"Your the Purple ninja now Raven, and that means _everyone_ is gonna be after _you_... especially Darkness."

After Flare finished speaking, an errie feeling rose around them.

The Jay asked, "D-Do you guys think that Darkness already _knew_ that Raven was going to be the Purple ninja?"

Then Cole said, "Now that you mention it, Darkness already wanted to catch Raven."

"That's right, he even sent Silva to do it," Christa said.

"But how could he have known?" Auria asked.

"And why didn't he capture her before or now? He has the power to do so," Violet added, as the others pondered these questions, but to no avail.

"Well, it doesn't matter now. Raven is the Purple Ninja and she's with us. If Darkness wants to show his face again, next time we'll be ready for him," Kai said, while nudging one fist into his other hand.

"Yes that's true. Silva said that they wanted to find the Purple ninja before we did, but that part of their plan has failed. We have the advantage now," Zane said, and the others' agreed.

"Let's head back to Bounty and tell them what's up," Cole said, and everyone, even Ultra Dragon, nodded and started heading towards the exit.

Outside on the Bounty, Dareth, Garmadon, Sensei Wu, Dr. Julien, and Misako were cleaning up a little bit after their fight with Silva and her minions. They had only a few bruises and bandages after they all confronted Silva. Misako was applying Flare's healing ointment on the deeper wounds and larger bruises on the guys, as they continued fixing some minor damage. Nya walked back on deck, and her armor was damaged with burns, scratches, and dents. She wasn't harmed much, but she could feel the bruises from the blows Ryan landed on her armor. Misako walked towards Nya, and noticed that she had a sad expression.

"What's wrong Nya? Was it Ryan?" Misako asked, as Nya turned to her and replied,

"Well, it's just... I feel sorry for him. I don't think he's as evil as the others are, including Silva, but he feels he doesn't have a choice."

Misako thought about that, as she turned and looked towards Garmadon, remembering the man he used to be.

"That reminds me of him... Garmadon felt he didn't have a choice either when he was bitten by the Great Devourer, but if Ryan really isn't as evil as the others, then I'm sure he'll make the right choice soon."

"How soon?" Nya asked, as Misako turned to her, but before she could answer, another voice was heard,

"Hey guys we're back! You'll never guess what happened!" Jay called out, as the other ninja, kunoichi, and Violet walked up to the Bounty's deck, while Ultra dragon stood sittting next to the Bounty.

"Ultra dragon!" Nya said, as she walked over to the dragon and petted each of his faces.

"Ah, so you have found Ultra dragon at last," Sensei Wu said, as the others nodded.

"Yeah, he came in to the rescue just in time," Jay said.

"Yeah, he just swooped in and stood up to Darkness," Cole said, as Misako, Sensei, Garmadon, and Dr. Julien had shocked expressions on their faces.

"So Darkness came after all of you? Is everyone alright?" Garmadon asked.

"Is Raven ok?" Dr. Julien asked, as the ninja and kunoichi nodded.

"See for yourself," Flare said, as they moved to the sides to show Raven and Lloyd, as they walked up on deck since they were behind the others.

The four elders looked at Raven in relief, and then in surprise, as they realized that her clothes had changed. Nya came over, and when she saw Raven in her purple uniform, her mouth dropped open in shock. Raven just smiled shyly at their reactions.

"Raven, your..." Misako said, as she smiled and walked towards Raven, while resting her hand on her shoulder, and continued,

"Your the Purple Ninja."

Raven smiled and nodded a few times.

"Yes, I am," Raven said, as Sensei Wu, Garmadon, and Dr. Julien also smiled and nodded.

Misako took a step back so that everyone could clearly see Raven.

"Whoa... nice threads Raven," Dareth said, as he turned and saw Violet leaning on the railing of the Bounty.

Dareth immediately ran over to her with his arms up and a big smile on his face.

"My girl! Your safe!" Dareth yelled out, as he hugged Violet, which surprised her.

"Oh, um... yeah," Violet said, as she just shrugged and patted Dareth on the head.

"I'm alright, and I see you kept your word Dareth," Violet said, as Dareth took a step back and nodded.

"Yeah, Silva and her goons came, but we took care of them," Dareth said.

Violet's eyes widened, as did the other ninja and kunoichi.

"Nya, what happened to your suit? Did... Did Silva do this to you?! Where is she?! Let me at her!" Jay said in anger, as he looked around to see if he could spot the steel-eyed woman.

He was waving his sword handle around, trying to call forth his -eh hem- lightning blade. (No pun intended, it's the best way to describe his elemental weapon)

"Ah, er, yah... Uh, why isn't this thing working?! ... W-Where's my lightning?" Jay said, as he started to become more concerned about his lightning power then about Silva's whereabouts.

He looked at both of his hands, wondering why the elemental sword wasn't working, and why he felt he couldn't use his lightning powers.

"Jay, are you alright?" Nya asked, as she walked up to him in concern, but Jay just continued to ponder what was wrong with him.

"Hah, all that talk Jay. Watch, _this_ is how you summon a weapon," Cole said, as he held up his Earth sword handle.

After a moment of waiting, Cole started to wave his weapon a little, but nothing happened. He looked more carefully at his weapon, as he started to smack it into his hand.

"What the?!" Cole yelled out, as Jay just laughed,

"Haha! You were saying Cole?"

"Shut it Jay, this is serious!" Cole yelled, and then Jay yelled back,

"Oohh, so if _MY_ power is missing that isn't important huh? But if _yours_ are missing-"

"Jay, please calm down, and you too Cole," Christa said, as she walked over to Cole to take a closer look at his weapon.

"It doesn't look broken... What did you do?" Christa asked, and then Cole replied,

"Nothing. I mean, we just fought with Darkness in the sanctuary, but that's about it."

Christa thought about it, but she couldn't think of anything.

Kai and Zane turned towards one another, and then they pulled out their sword handles to summon their elemental blades. However, nothing happened, the blades didn't glow or even spark. Nothing. Then they tried to summon fire and ice on the their hands, but nothing came up. The Ninja of fire and the Ninja of ice just looked towards one another in shock, as they realized they too couldn't summon their weapons.

"Hey, we can't use our elemental powers either," Kai said, as the others turned towards him and Zane, as they tried to use their elements, but to no avail.

"Hm, let me see," Sensei Wu said, as the four ninja stood before their sensei, holding out their weapons.

Sensei Wu looked over the weapons, as did Garmadon.

"Well, their weapons look fine, but..." Garmadon said.

"But what?" Kai asked, as Sensei Wu answered,

"It's not your weapons that are the problem. It is within you four that is the problem."

The four guys looked towards one another in question.

"What do you mean Sensei?" Zane asked, as Sensei Wu stroked his beard.

Then Sensei Wu asked, "Tell me, what happened when you encountered Darkness."

**The Purple Ninja has been revealed. Were they who you expected?**


	37. Chapter 37 Spliting Up

After explaining what happened in the cave sanctuary, Sensei stood thinking for a while. Then he turned to the kunoichi and asked,

"Girls, do you still have your elemental powers?"

Flare, Christa, Auria, and Raven nodded, as they rose their platinum weapons up and they glowed brightly.

"See, they still have their elements. Why don't we have ours?" Jay asked.

"Wait, but I still have _my_ elemental powers, and my golden powers too. Why did the guys only lose their powers?" Lloyd asked, as Sensei Wu thought about it.

Then Misako asked, "You said that Darkness used spinjitzu and that he unleashed a weird spin attack correct?"

The ninja and kunoichi nodded.

Then Misako asked, "And Lloyd, Raven, and Violet weren't part of that attack correct?"

Lloyd, Raven, and Violet nodded.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Kai asked a little impatiently, and then Misako said,

"I'm getting to that... Girls, do your platinum weapons have any special qualitites? Besides the elements and turning into vehicles?"

Flare, Auria, Christa, and Raven looked towards one another, thinking about it. Then Auria stepped forth and replied,

"Our weapons are able to unlock the elemental powers within us. They are an extension of the power that is within us. Also, our weapons can shield us from certain effects of attacks..."

"Like locking elemental abilities?" Misako asked, as the girls' eyes widened at the realization of what Misako was getting at.

"What does that mean?" Jay asked, and then Kai said,

"Our powers are locked..."

"Locked? How? Did that attack Darkness use lock our powers?" Cole asked.

"Apparently," Christa answered sadly.

"And the Platinum weapons protected us," Auria said.

"Where did Darkness learn to do that?" Flare asked, as no one could offer her a true response.

Then Zane asked, "How could we unlock our powers again?"

There was a moment of silence, until Raven walked over to Christa and asked,

"Christa, are these the only platinum weapons?"

Christa shook her head and replied, "No, there are other platinum weapons besides our own."

The ninja looked right towards Christa.

"Wait, whoa, you mean to to tell me that there are _more_ platinum weapons?" Cole asked and Christa nodded.

"And you didn't tell us?" Jay asked.

"I didn't think it was necessary. You had your own weapons, and the other platinum weapons are not to be used but for emergencies or if the new owners are found," Christa said with a shrug.

Then Cole said, "Well, we're kind of in an emergency right now. Especially since we don't have any elemental powers, and if Darkness were to attack us now-"

"Don't even say it Cole! I don't even want to think about that," Jay said nervously.

"He's right," Kai said and continued, "If we don't unlock our powers soon, we'll be sitting ducks if Darkness decides to come back."

Sensei Wu turned to Christa and Auria and asked, "Do you know where the platinum weapons are?"

Both girls nodded. Then Sensei Wu turned to Ultra dragon and asked,

"Ultra dragon, are you still able to fly?"

Ultra dragon roared and flapped his wings meaning yes.

"I see where your going with this Sensei," Flare said.

"Sensei, what are you planning?" Zane asked, and then Sensei Wu turned to them and replied,

"I think it's best if we split up."

The others were surprised by Sensei Wu's suggestion.

"Split up? Why?" Jay asked, and Sensei answered,

"We still need to find Lucy and bring her back to Marcell. We have the map already, and you four need your elemental powers back. Christa and Auria know where the other platinum weapons are so they should go with you to retrieve them. You can take the Bounty along with you. The rest of us who can fight should go find Lucy on Ultra dragon."

"But Sensei, what if Darkness were to attack you guys?" Cole asked, and Flare replied,

"Well, it's not like _you_ guys would be of any help. You might as well should just go. Who knows, the other Platinum weapons might choose you four as their masters."

The guys looked towards one another, and then they realized that Flare was right.

"And don't worry guys. Once we get the weapons we'll all meet up again with whoever goes to find Lucy," Christa said.

After a moment, the guys gave in.

"Well, I guess we already know where we're going," Kai said, as he stood back along with Cole, Jay, Zane, Christa, and Auria.

"I'll come along with you guys too. My old bones may slow the others down," Dr. Julien said, as he stood next to Zane and they nodded towards one another.

"I'll stay on the Bounty as well. You'll need someone to look after the ship when you retrieve the weapons," Misako said, as she stood with the others.

"Then I shall stay here as well. Someone's gotta keep this ship on course and protect those in need," Dareth said, as he walked towards the others while nodding towards Violet, which made her smirk and nod back.

As it turns out; Lloyd, Raven, Violet, Nya, Flare, Garmadon, and Wu are going to rescue Lucy while Christa, Auria, Cole, Zane, Kai, Jay, Dr. Julien, Misako, and Dareth are going to claim the other platinum weapons. Each side then said their 'Byes.'

Misako hugged Garmadon and Lloyd, who hugged her back as she said,

"Both of you, take care of each other, and be careful."

Lloyd and Garmadon pulled out of the hug and nodded towards Misako, as she smiled.

"You be careful as well darling," Garmadon said.

"Yeah, we'll be back together soon mom, I promise," Lloyd said, as they turned to hop on Ultra dragon's back.

Violet and Dareth stood holding hands with both hands, as they spoke to one another.

"Are you sure you'll be okay Dare?" Violet asked.

"Of course I will be my sweet. I'll take care of the ninja, you just go out there and fight for your right to party- I mean to save Princess Lucy!" Dareth said quick, as he blushed a little.

Violet smiled, as she nodded towards Dareth and he nodded back. The two then slowly stepped away from one another, as only one of their hands stood extented holding each other's. Then their hands parted as they continued to look at one another until Violet turned to jump on Ultra dragon's back.

Christa, Auria, Flare, and Raven exchanged hugs, as they exchanged goodbyes.

"You guys better come back soon okay? Once you get their weapons you better come back, alright?" Flare said, as Auria and Christa nodded.

"We will," Auria said.

"Don't worry, we'll be sure to regroup once the guys get acquainted with their weapons," Christa said with a smiled, as Flare nodded.

"You'll be okay, right?" Raven said in concern, as Christa and Auria turned towards her and smiled.

"Of course we will Raven, don't you worry," Christa reassured, as Auria clarrified,

"We will be fine, I'm sure Darkness won't attack us so soon. He mentioned something about having other plans."

Raven nodded. Then Christa placed her hand on Flare's shoulder firmly and looked at her with a serious expression, as Flare's eyebrow raised.

"Make sure you keep Raven safe okay Flare? We're counting on you," Christa said, and Flare replied,

"Of course I will. No one will come anywhere near her without a beating and a slap!"

"Okay, thank you Flare," Christa said with a smile, as she stepped back while Flare and Raven walked towards Ultra dragon and were ready to jump on his back.

Kai, Jay, Zane, Cole, Nya, Sensei Wu, and Dr. Julien stood together, as they said their goodbyes.

"So your sure you'll be okay without us?" Cole asked Sensei Wu and Nya as they nodded.

"We'll be fine. You four on the other hand need to retrieve those platinum weapons and see if you can unlock your elemental powers," Sensei Wu said, as the four ninja nodded towards Sensei Wu.

"Don't worry about a thing Wu, I'll keep the boys in check alright?" Dr. Julien said, as Sensei Wu smiled and nodded towards hin.

Then, Kai and Nya gave each other a hug, as Kai said, "Be safe little sister, and kick some butt too."

Nya giggled as she looked at her older brother and said, "I can promise you that. Just make sure you join in soon okay?"

Kai nodded and smiled, as they separated from their hug.

"My turn!" Jay said excitedly, as he hugged Nya which made Kai just shake his head.

"You sure you'll be okay out there Nya? I mean, you could come with us or I could go with you," Jay said, as Nya gave him a look like 'I'll be fine'.

Jay just signed and said, "Well it was worth a shot."

He smiled at Nya, as she smiled back and they hugged once more.

"Aww, look how cute," Cole said tauntingly, as Jay turned to him and said,

"Hey man, shut it! I'm trying to say goodbye to my girl. Don't rub it in just because you get to stay with Christa."

Cole's eyes widened, as the others made 'Ooohh' sounds. Then they became silent, as Christa and Auria walked in. Christa just smiled and stood next to Cole, who started to blush a little, but he tried to fight the blush back. Auria stood next to Zane, who smiled at her, as she smiled back. Dr. Julien noticed this and thought,

_'My son... and Auria... well I'll be...'_

He smiled, as he saw Zane and Auria hold hands.

As Christa and Auria spoke to Nya and Sensei Wu, Kai turned and noticed that Flare and Raven were ready to jump on Ultra dragon. He quickly headed towards Flare's direction without the others noticing he was gone. As Kai approached, Flare noticed him and she smirked as she told Raven to go on ahead. After Raven jumped on Ultra dragon's back, Flare turned to Kai as he stood not too far from her.

"Flare." -Kai

"Kai." -Flare

Kai thought for a moment and then said,

"So, your leaving huh?"

Flare nodded and said, "Yup."

Kai looked down thinking, as Flare looked over to the side waiting for him to say something. Then Kai turned back to Flare and walked a few steps closer to her and asked,

"Well, will you be okay?"

Flare looked at Kai with one eyebrow raised as Kai clarified,

"What I mean is, you seemed a bit... out of it since we fought with Darkness and well, you do seem a little better now, but I was just wondering-"

Flare placed her hand on Kai's mouth gently, as he stopped talking. Then she said,

"It's alright Kai, you don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine, I just needed some time to think, and..."

Flare placed her hand under Kai's chin and moved his face close to her's as she whispered [although it was a little louder than normal],

"Your pretty cute when your worried my lover boy."

Kai's face turned bright red, and then he started to walk backwards while studdering,

"Uh s-so um, I'm j-just g-gonna go... AH darn it Flare!"

Kai quickly turned and ran up the stairs of the Bounty's deck to the upper deck, as Flare just laughed. Then she turned and jumped on Ultra dragon's back.

After Nya and Sensei Wu jumped on Ultra dragon's back, Lloyd was able to get his dragon up in the air and on his way, as everyone waved to those on the Bounty. A few moments later, Misako was able to get the Bounty moving as they headed towards the secret sanctuary of the other platinum weapons.

In the desert in the city of Ouroboros, the vampires and serpentine were really getting along with one another, even though the serpentine were still a little frightened since the vampire threatened to eat them before. The vampires and serpentine were able to cooperate and even share some laughs and conversations.

As the vampires and serpentine were all just minding their business and taking a break, Pythor stood on top of one of the buildings, watching. After a moment longer, Skales came up to the same roof as Pythor.

"Pythor, Marcell wishessss to ssssee you. She ssssaid she hassss a job for you," Skales said, as Pythor turned to the former Snake king.

"What sssssort of job isss it now?" Pythor asked, as Skales replied,

"She wouldn't ssssay, she just needssss you to come without quesssstion."

Pythor signed, as he started to slowly slither past Skales to leave. Skales looked out among the vampires and serpentine. Then he turned to Pythor and said,

"You know, the vampiressss and sssserpentine have been getting along rather well. I didn't think there were any ssssurface dwellersss who would be accepting of our kind, and ssssimilar."

Pythor stopped moving, and then he turned to Skales questionably and asked,

"What are you getting at?"

Skales replied, "If we could get along sssso well with the vampiresss, then maybe there isss a chancce that we could alsssso find peaccce with the humansss assss well."

Pythor raised a brow, as he looked at Skales in surprise.

"What are you ssssaying SSkales? That is abssurd! After being sssealed underground the whole time you would consssider befriending the humansss?" Pythor asked.

"Oh come now Pythor! What'ssss the point of wanting vengenccce on the humanssss anymore? It'sss not like _your_ plan hasss helped usss any better. Besidesss, the vampiresss are accepting of ussss," Skales said, and Pythor just went "Hmph."

As Pythor turned to go, Skales said, "I don't ssssee you ssso objective when it comesss to Marcell. You ssseem to hold her in high essssteem."

Pythor looked back at Skales with a growl, as he quickly turned and left. Skales just stood on the roof as he continued to look out amongst the Serpentine and Vampires.

Pythor was slithering across the desert sand and was heading towards the center of the city, where Marcell would be. As he moved along, he started to look around and see that the serpentine and the vampires were all having a pretty good time. They were playing cards, laughing together, eating together, and just hanging out together. Pythor continued to watch as he thought,

_'Well, we have been getting along rather well... but I only stood here because of my own curiosity. Now the serpentine are involved and they have already gotten pretty close to the vampires... I have no chance as their king, especially after what happened with the Great Devourer, and now befriending the vampires...'_

As Pythor pondered this, he made it to the center of Ouroboros as the sun began to set. Marcell stood right in the center speaking to some vampires and serpentine. As Pythor approached Marcell, he continued to think,

_'There is no other way for me to do anything else at this point. The Great Devourer was a failure, and reclaiming my title as Snake King was a failure. What else is there for me to do now? I serve under Marcell, and she serves under Silva, and Silva serves under Darkness... although I do agree with his plans and ideas... I do feel something odd about him. As if he is hiding something much more treacherous... Although I like treachery, I have a bad feeling about the kind he has in mind. A__very bad feeling under my scales..."_

As Pythor approached Marcell, she turned towards him and smirked as he stood in front of her.

"Well well Pythor, it's grand to see you," Marcell said, as Pythor bowed and said,

"Yesss your majessty, and it isss grand to ssssee you assss well. Might I say you look absssolutely charming."

Marcell smiled with a suspicious look in her eyes as she said,

"Why thank you Pythor, -sign- doesn't it pain you to be extra nice to me?"

Pythor looked at Marcell with a little smile and said, "You have no idea."

Marcell just chuckled as she said, "Well, anyway, I need you to deliver a note for me to Silva. She's waiting just outside Ouroboros. I would do it myself, but I just can't stand to be close to her for long, you know."

Pythor nodded, "Yesss I underssstand perfectly," he said, and Marcell nodded as she handed him the note.

"Make haste and return here my friend, I wouldn't want you to stay out of my sight too long or I would have to assume the worse," Marcell said, and then she walked over to Pythor and stroked his head as he froze in place since he didn't expect that.

After Marcell turned her attention back to the others, Pythor slowly turned around and started to slither away as he looked back at Marcell a few times.

_'She... really cares? But she's a vampire... but she did call me friend...' _

Pythor was just outside Ouroboros as he thought,

_'Hm... perhaps... Skales was ri-'_

"Oh well this is a surprise isn't it."

Pythor's thoughts were cut off when he heard a very dark voice speak out of nowhere.

"Over here," the voice said, as Pythor turned and froze in place when he looked up and saw Darkness sitting on the wall of Ouroboros.

Darkness was grinning, as he looked down at the stunned snake. Then he disappeared and reappeared not too far from Pythor. Pythor retracted his head to himself, as he held the note and was slightly shaking.

"Um... your mossst evilnesss. I-I didn't expect _y-you_ to be here. I thought Ssilva would've been-"

"Ah yes, well Silva had some other business to attend to so I came instead," Darkness said, as he extended a hand towards Pythor.

"The letter, if I may have it." -Darkness

Pythor nodded as he handed Darkness the letter. When Darkness grasped the paper, Pythor felt a sudden serge of evil creep onto his hand to the rest of his body. He quickly released the letter and backed away as Darkness slowly pulled his hand back and looked at the letter. He opened it and read what was written. Afterward, Darkness smiled wickedly, as he closed the letter and put it in his pocket. Then he looked up at Pythor and said,

"Thank you for your service Pythor. Ah, soon it will all be ready."

Darkness then turned to go, but he looked back at Pythor and asked, "Is there something troubling you?"

Pythor stiffened, since Darkness seemed to read his mind, but then he asked,

"Well um, y-yesss. Not with you of courssse, but I wasss wondering... what wasss the purpossse of all the work we have done sssso far?"

Darkness took a moment to speak, turning his back towards Pythor, and then he said,

"Well, I can tell you that it is pretty important, but that's all I will reveal."

As Darkness was preparing to go, a sound was heard from his pocket. He pulled out a walkie-talkie and said,

"Yes? What is it?"

Another voice was on the line that said, "The defenses have been set up, but those ninja may be coming by soon."

Darkness replied, "Then kill two birds with one stone."

The person on the line replied, "As you wish."

Darkness put his walkie-talkie in his pocket as he turned back to Pythor and smirked,

"Well my friend, it's time for me to go, and I hope you can get the rest of the work done by your _**dead**_line."

Pythor gulped as he replied, "Y-Yesss ssir."

"Good," Darkness said, as he disappeared again.

Pythor signed in relief, and then he started to slither back within Ouroboros. However, a large shadow pasted over him as he looked up and saw a creature with a large pair of dark wings fly off with Darkness standing on it's back. Pythor gasped, as he quickly rushed to the center of Ouroboros to tell Marcell all that he heard and saw.


	38. Chapter 38 The True Element

As Team one flew across the sky on Ultra dragon towards where Lucy was being kept, they were discussing plans about how to break in and get Lucy out without trouble. They settled down in a forest area at one point because Ultra dragon needed some rest before they headed to the island. During this time, they were preparing themselves for the break in or if anything went wrong and they would just have to fight. Sensei Wu was meditating, Garmadon was also meditating, Nya was fixing her armor from the damage it received from before, Violet was just sitting under a tree resting, Raven was speaking to Ultra dragon to find out what he knew about the land and the base where Lucy was, Lloyd was watching over everyone, and Flare was sitting by herself near a cliff edge looking out above another forest area.

Lloyd thought it was odd that Flare was just sitting alone, so he went over to where she was to talk to her. As Lloyd approached Flare, he saw that her two platinum scimitars were laid out before her. Lloyd stood a few feet from Flare, as she just continued to look down at her weapons and then up over the cliff.

Then Lloyd said, "Uh, hey Flare."

Flare looked towards Lloyd and simply said "Hey."

"Soo Flare, what's up?" Lloyd asked, as Flare looked up at him and then looked down at her scimitars.

Flare signed and said, "I don't know man. I've been thinking about what Darkness said to me before when we were all fighting. He said that I was fighting him with a "broken weapon." I'm not sure if what he said was true or not, but if it _was_ true... then..."

Flare picked up her two scimitars and was examining each one, and asked,

"How would I put them back together? and what would happen if I did?"

Lloyd looked at the scimitars and then at Flare, who just looked at her weapons with frustration, confusion, and... sadness. Lloyd then looked at the two scimitars and thought,

_'Darkness... is he telling the truth? Hm... if he is telling the truth, then there has to be a way to put them together, right?'_

Lloyd walked closer to Flare to look at the scimitars. He extended his hand towards them and asked,

"May I?"

Flare looked up at Lloyd for a moment before standing up and handing him the scimitars. Lloyd looked at both weapons and he turned around and was slashing the air with each one. Lloyd looked at each weapon more carefully to see if there was a switch or a cut mark or something that would show they were once one or if they can be brought back together... but he found nothing. The light and dark scimitars looked like just two normal weapons. Then Lloyd placed both of the weapons together side-by-side. The weapons glowed momentarily, but nothing happened. Then Lloyd pulled them apart and said,

"Hmm. There's no switch, no cut mark... nothing. Was Darkness even telling the truth?"

Flare responded, "Well that's what I'm trying to figure out. Didn't ya hear what I just said before?!"

Lloyd replied, "I _did_ hear what you said Flare, and I'm just trying to help. You don't have to yell!"

Flare looked away, but then her expression softened as she turned back to Lloyd and said,

"I'm sorry Lloyd. I just get frustrated when I don't understand something."

Lloyd looked towards Flare, a little surprised, and said, "It's okay Flare... Wow, I mean, you don't usually apologize."

Flare signed, and said, "Because I usually mean what I say."

Lloyd laughed as Flare smirked at her own words. Then her smirk faded when she looked towards the scimitars.

"I've used those scimitars for a few years now, and well... I thought I knew all I could about them, but now I found out that they use to be one whole weapon. It's surprising, but a little insulting to my intelligence."

Lloyd nodded as he looked back at the two weapons.

"It's pretty weird huh? A weapon of light, and a weapon of darkness. How could these two opposites have been toge-" Lloyd trailed off, as he thought about his mother and father, before Garmadon became good again.

Then Flare said, "Well, my parents are opposites in that sense, and they got married."

Lloyd looked at Flare, then at the scimitars, and then back at Flare. Flare looked at Lloyd suspiciously as he looked at the weapons and her. Then Lloyd held up the scimitars and said,

"These weapons, your parents, and mine too. They were opposites... and yet, they still were able to look past their differences and love each other... like how the scimitars are able to fight together."

Flare thought about that, and then she quickly grabbed her two scimitars. Lloyd's eyes widened at how quick Flare was able to take her weapons out of his hands, but he stood silent as he watched Flare look at her weapons with a new light in her eyes. Then Flare said,

"So... these weapons are like my parents. Two opposites... and I have both they're light and darkness... so, if these scimitars reflect my parents..."

Flare held her weapons out in front of her, and as she slowly moved them together she said, "Then together, the true weapon would be the reflection... no... the shadow of... myself."

As the two scimitars connected, they began to glow very brightly: one in white light and the other in dark light, as a soft gray light illuminated from between the two weapons. Lloyd was covering his eyes, as he saw the convergence of the two glowing weapons and the soft gray color dominating over both of them. The others at the camp noticed the light show and immediately came running over, as they shielded their eyes.

When the light had finally ceased, the others looked and gasped when they saw Flare:

She was standing before the others with a large scimitar in her hand. It had a platinum handle like a pirate handle with a sharp curve on it and orange stripes on the curve. The blade was large with a sharp, broad point at the tip, and it branched out in sharp points on the outer curve of the scimitar. The blade itself had a soft grey color at the tip and pointed side, and a dark grey color on the rest of it. Flare's clothes had gained a dark gray color on her inner shirt, her gloves, and her belt. The leg wrappings were orange, and she had a golden sash on her back to carry weapons. Her attire had dark grey shoulder armor, and the rest was orange with the scimitar drawn in gold on the front of her gi.

Flare looked up at the others with a smirk, as they continued to look at her in shock.

"It's alright guys and girls. Continue to look upon my awesomeness with high esteem," Flare said.

"What just happened?" Nya asked.

"Flare, why is it everytime your left alone something awesome happens?" Raven asked, as she examined the new scimitar.

"Well that's just how I roll," Flare said, as she shrugged.

"How interesting... your weapons fused together. How did you do it?" Garmadon asked.

Flare looked at her weapon, and then she said, "Well, my weapon is a shadow of myself. Once I realized that, it just sort of happened... Oh, and I figured out it's true name."

The others looked towards one another, and then back at Flare.

"What is it's_ true_ name?" Sensei Wu asked.

Flare smirked, as she raised her weapon up and said, "It's true name is: The Shadow Scimitar of Umbra."

Team Two was traveling on the Bounty to find the other platinum weapons. Auria and Christa were in the control room discussing the whereabouts of the platinum weapons, as they looked at the map on the computer screen. Misako and Dr. Julien were in the control room as well: Misako was steering the Bounty, while Dr. Julien was assisting Auria and Christa with the map. The other guys were all on the Bounty's deck. They were trying to train, although they missed having elemental weapons.

"Oh man, that GUY! Locking our powers. When I get my hands on him-" Jay said, but was cut of by Cole,

"_If_ you get your hands on him. Frankly, I think he'll just wipe the floor with you."

"Oh haha Cole. Last time I checked, wasn't he wiping the floor with you, Kai, and Zane?" "

Whoa, hold on Jay. You don't have to get the rest of us involved," Kai said.

"I agree with Kai, and I don't think you were doing much better than we were Jay," Zane said.

The four guys looked at one another, and then they just hung their heads low, as they signed.

"Ah come on guys, I'm sure you'll do better next time," Dareth said and continued, "But I know that _I _was able to defeat the perpetrators who tried to attack everyone on the Bounty before."

"Oh really? You defeated Silva and her minions all by yourself?" Jay asked, as Dareth gulped and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, um, I stalled them, and I at least defeated one of them. Misako was the one who fought with Silva, and Nya fought with Ryan."

Jay's eyes widened, "What?! Ryan was the one who fought with Nya?! Why that two timing jerk! What's with that guy?! He helps us then he goes against us!"

Kai smacked Jay over the head, as Jay rubbed the spot where Kai hit him.

"What was that for?" Jay asked.

"Keep your voice down Jay. Remember, no one is suppose to know that Ryan helped us or that would cause trouble for him, and us too," Kai said in a whisper.

Jay signed.

"Dude, Silva is Ryan's mother. Even if he fights with us, he's only doing it because of her. It's nothing personal," Cole said, as Jay signed and nodded.

"Wait, Silva is Ryan's mother?" Dareth asked, as the others looked towards him.

"Oh yeah you weren't here when Auria and Raven found out. They told us the same night after they found out," Kai said.

Dareth's mouth dropped open, as the other ninja just nodded. Then Christa came on deck and said,

"Guys we're almost there, we should be landing soon. Oh, and there's some snacks downstairs as well."

"Snacks? I'm in!" Jay said, as he started running ahead of the others.

"Hey, don't eat it all Jay!" Kai called out, as he ran inside too.

"Wait for me!" Dareth called, as he ran in.

Zane walked inside. Christa just giggled, since she saw how excited the boys were for food. Then she turned and saw that Cole was still on deck.

"Are you coming Cole?" she asked, as Cole rubbed the back of his head and said,

"Yeah, um, I just, you know, I mean, since they're gone now, maybe we can, I mean if you want to, we could just talk for a minute."

Christa blushed a little and said, "Oh, um, sure, of course, why not, I mean, they _are_ downstairs, and we're alone."

Cole nodded, and then they both walked over to the Bounty's railing, and were looking out at the land below.

"So, what should we talk about?" Christa asked without making much eye contact since she was nervous.

"Well, um, so how are you today?" Cole asked, also not making much contact for the same reason.

"Oh I'm fine, very good... especially right now," Christa said, as Cole blushed a bit.

"Oh, um, yeah, that's great! That's good." -Cole

"Yup," -Christa

Then Cole asked, "So, um, I'm sure you would like to learn more about spinjitzu right? Since your part of the team and all."

Christa lightly laughed and said, "I already know how. Sensei Wu told me about it when we were at Fountain Falls, and Flare demonstrated for me and Auria too."

Cole's eyes widened and he asked, "Really?"

Christa took a few steps back and said, "NinjaGO!"

As Christa spinned, a yellow tornado had encased her with visible sound waves that emanated from the tornado around her. After a moment, Christa stopped spinning and shook her head, as she looked at Cole and said,

"I'm still trying to get the hang of it though."

Cole was shocked, but then he snapped himself out of it and said, "Wow, your pretty... I mean pretty good at spin jitzu! And you know... if you want some extra tips, I wouldn't mind lending you a hand."

Cole was blushing more, as Christa smiled, nodded, and said,

"Oh, I would like that very much Cole, thank you."

Cole rubbed the back of his head and said, "No problem."

Then Christa looked out among the land, while Cole did the same.

After a moment of silence:

"Cole, what do you think of the view, isn't it beautiful?" Christa asked, as Cole looked out among the terrain of forest, river, and mountains.

Then he turned towards Christa and said, "Well, the view _is_ breath taking, but..."

Cole reached out and held Christa's hand. Christa turned towards Cole in surprise, as they finally made direct eye contact.

"Your view is way better," Cole said, as he stroked Christa's hair with his free hand.

Christa's eyes widened, as her face became more red. Then she turned away quick from Cole and smiled, while she put one of her hands on her face, and said,

"Aw Cole that's so cool man. Thank you."

Cole smiled and blushed.

"Heh, your welcome," Cole said, while still holding Christa's hand and looking away.

Then Christa turned towards Cole and saw that he was blushing. She smiled and said,

"Aww, your so cute when your blushing. All red on your face."

Cole looked towards Christa quick which made his blush even redder.

"Uh, um, I... am cute?" Cole asked, as Christa nodded and said,

"Your already h-handsome, and when you blush... your even cuter."

Cole's eyes widened and he asked, "Y-You really think so?"

"Very much," Christa replied with a nod.

Then Cole said, "Uh, t-thanks, and your your..."

Cole took a moment to gaze into Christa's eyes, and he also saw how lovely she looked with her hair softly blowing across her face, and how her hair complemented her skin, making it look like she was glowing. Then Cole said,

"Your amazing... and so beautiful."

Christa blushed and smiled at Cole, as they both looked towards one another and held both hands together.

"Eh hem... I hope I'm not interupting anything."

Christa and Cole jumped, as they looked and saw Auria standing not too far from them with her arms crossed. Cole and Christa released hands, as they looked towards Auria with wide eyes and fearful looking expressions. Auria looked at both of them, and then she smiled and said,

"We have more food downstairs for both of you, and some cake as well."

Cole felt his stomach growl when he heard cake and asked, "T-There's cake?"

Auria nodded. Then Cole looked towards Christa and she nodded, as Cole smiled and headed downstairs. Christa looked towards Auria after Cole left, and Auria looked towards Christa. Auria's expression was serious, while Christa's was nervous. Then Auria's face softened to a smile, and she said,

"He is strong, brazen, loyal, and a natural leader. The others also agree, although he can be a bit stubborn at times, he is all-in-all a great ninja."

After Auria finished, Christa smiled as Auria nodded and began to walk back into the Bounty.

"Of course, I'll still be watching him. But I just wanted to let you know what I have concluded thus far," Auria said, as Christa's eyes widened and she nodded.

Afterward, the two sisters walked into the Bounty to eat some food and get ready for landing.

"The Shadow Scimitar of Umbra, hm? Than your elemental ability is shadow manipulation," Sensei Wu said, as Flare nodded and said,

"Well, we'll see what else I can do with my new-old weapon."

"Hmph, well you can test out your newfound abilities when we reach Lucy's location," Violet said, as Flare smirked and said,

"Now there's an idea."

Ultra dragon had also followed the others, and then he started growling at some tall bushes nearby. The others looked at where Ultra dragon was looking at, and prepared themselves when the bushes began to rustle. After a few more seconds, a person emerged from the bushes. They were brushing off the leaves and twigs from their clothes.

"Oh my indeed, being caught by so many trees and snagged by those branches. How unruly..."

The person looked up at the others and noticed that they were there. This person was a woman, who had dark brown hair with grey streaks in a bun that had some hair hanging loose from the bottom. She wore a black jacket open with no sleeves, a grey shirt under the jacket, dark blue pants, and a small, brown traveller's backpack.

She stood looking at the others, as they looked at her.

Then Flare asked, "Hey... what are you doing here?"

The woman looked up at Flare and said, "Oh... I was in the neighborhood gathering some herbs when I saw a light and went to investigate. It's very nice to see you again Flare."

Flare nodded halfheartedly, "Yeah, it's alright to see you too Ms. Kerri."

The others were confused except Raven, who said,

"Hi Ms. Kerri it's been a while since we've seen you."

Ms. Kerri turned towards Raven and she stood stiff. She looked at Raven up and down.

"Raven... oh my gosh, how long have I been gone! Look at how big you are," Kerri said in shock, as Raven clarified,

"Oh no Ms. Kerri, it's just that I turned older from using the Gem of Ages, and I broke it so now I'm just older."

Ms. Kerri thought about it, and then she nodded and said, "Oh, okay... phew! I thought I was falling behind in time. That would've meant that I'm getting older, and I wouldn't want to be."

Then, as Kerri approached the others, Ultra dragon started to growl again, until Lloyd told him to calm down.

"I've been away so long in this forest, I haven't been able to keep up with what's going on. So how have you all been doing? And who are all the others I don't know? New friends?" Kerri asked.

"Oh, yes. This is Nya, Garmadon, Sensei Wu, Violet, and Lloyd," Raven said, and then Kerri bowed and said,

"It's nice to meet you all, my name is Kerri."

The others also bowed. Then Kerri said,

"So, what's going on? Where are all of you headed? And where's Auria and Christa?"

"They went on a separate path. They have other business to attend to," Flare said with her arms crossed.

"Hm, well, I guess I'll see them later," Kerri said with a smile.

"Yeah. Oh! We gotta go," Raven said, as the others nodded.

"Go?" Kerri asked.

"Um, yeah, we have to save a princess from certain peril," Raven replied.

"Oh my, well then let me help you. I haven't been doing much anyway besides getting lost in this forest," Kerri said.

"I don't know Ms. Kerri, I mean we're going to have to fight and stuff," Raven said and Flare added,

"Yeah, and I need to test out my new power."

"Oh please can I come? I won't interfere, and I definantly will stay out of the way, especially when it comes to you Flare, after that slashing incident in Aeroplane," Kerri said, as Flare just frowned.

"Does _everyone_ remember that?" Flare asked, while shaking her head, as everyone just laughed.

"Are you guys okay if she comes along?" Raven asked, as the others looked towards one another and nodded.

"It would be our pleasure," Sensei Wu said, as Raven turned and nodded towards Kerri, who smiled and bowed again. Ultra dragon snarled a little, and Lloyd turned to him and said,

"What's the matter boy? I know we didn't plan on another person coming along, and you'll probably get a little tired, but it's better than just leaving her here alone."

Ultra dragon snorted and just turned to his side so that the others can climb on.

After everyone was on board, Ultra dragon flew up in the air and was heading towards Lucy's location at the tower.

"Oh my gosh, this is amazing!" Kerri said, as she stood up and felt the wind in her hair as they flew across the sky.

"Pretty awesome huh Ms. Kerri," Raven said, as Kerri nodded.

"It's wonderful," Kerri replied, as she looked around the land and saw the ocean just ahead.


	39. Chapter 39 Reawaken

In a lab within Fountain Falls stood King Terrin in human form and a few Viporeons, standing in front of the crystalized Queen of the Viporeons. Anaca was present, as well as two other Anacondrai Viporeons: The older one's name was Mysteria, while the younger one's name was Vinda.

"What shall be done now your highnessss? Do we wait and ssssee what thossse youngingssss plan on doing?" Mysteria asked.

"Oh Myssssteria pleassse, I am sure the Ninja probably know what they are doing. Remember our little princessss issss among them," Vinda said charismatically.

Mysteria just snorted and said, "Oh pleasssse Vinda, when did young little nephodytessss do sssomething without messsing up?"

Anaca turned towards both snakes with a forbidding expression, as they bowed down.

"I apologize Anaca," Mysteria said.

"I do assss well," Vinda said, and then Anaca turned away from them.

King Terrin was more attentive towards his wife, who was still trapped within the crystal prison. He had tested some methods to break her out of the crystal, but they didn't work. He was trying one last method that he and Dr. Julien had thought long and hard about... the final test.

_'Let's see if this works my love,'_ Terrin thought, as he typed in a few numbers on the computer next to him.

The machine arms around the crystal began to move. One of them held a beaker of glowing, light-blue liquid.

_'Let's see if this remedy can really help you my dear. I've tried to break you out before, but instead of me breaking you out, I can give you the strength necessary to break yourself out.' _Terrin thought.

The machine arm with the beaker stood above the crystal and turned over slowly, as it poured the liquid over the crystal prison. After the vial was emptied, the arm moved away, as well as all the other ones. The crystal began to emit a brighter light than usual. Terrin and the three other Viporeons stood watching, as the crystal glowed brighter, and then suddenly the light faded off to a dim glow. Terrin looked at the crystal a moment longer, and then he punched the computer keyboard as it smashed inward and sparked numerous times.

"Are you kidding me?! All thissss time I took to make that rejuvenator ssserum and all the time ssspent to free her from thiss crystal NIGHTMARE! And NOTHING?!" Terrin yelled out, as he turned away from the computer after kicking it.

"Your majesssty, calm yoursssself. Thiss issss no time to become enraged and unorthodox," Anaca said, as Mysteria and Vinda stood hiding behind her.

Terrin signed and said, "I know. I just... my wife... so long she hasss been trapped in there. I miss her ssso much, and Raven does too."

"We all do ssssire," Anaca said with her head hung low.

**CRACK!**

Terrin and the Viporeons quickly turned to the source of the noise. Upon the crystal prison stood a large crack that went vertical on the crystal. Mysteria and Vinda gasped, and Anaca stood with her eyes widened. Terrin was in shock so he just stood still. Then another crack was made horizontally across the crystal. Terrin and the Viporeons backed away from this one, and the next couple of cracks that followed.

Suddenly, the crystal prison burst in pieces that shattered across the room. Terrin blocked himself, as did the Viporeons. When they removed their arms from their faces, their eyes all widened in shock. There stood a woman with long black hair, and two pieces of hair in the front with two beads on the tip of blue. Her shirt had three horizontal bands across it with grey at the top, dark blue in the middle, and black at the bottom, with a purple hood. Her royal blue pants had multiple zippers and purple horizontal stripes on just the bottom. She stood before the King and the Viporeons, as she opened her eyes. The Queen took a breath of fresh air, and then said,

"Hello my dear, my people. It's so great to see you all again, and to breathe fresh air once more... Where's Raven?"

"Well, here we are, back close to home," Christa said, as she spun around.

Team two had landed the Bounty on a large flat surface on the top of Mount Soaria. Everyone was outside the Bounty on the ground floor.

"Huh? We're back here again?" Jay asked, and Christa nodded.

"The platinum weapons are located within this mountain. Christa, if you may show them the way," Auria said, as Christa nodded and turned around to a certain spot on the floor.

"Wait, your not coming?" Cole asked, and Auria shook her head.

"I've decided it would be best if I stood outside to protect the others and the Bounty. But don't worry, Christa knows the way," Auria said.

"Yeah, you guys go get your special weapons while we look after the Bounty," Dareth said, as the others nodded.

Zane turned and looked towards Auria concerned, and she smiled at him to show that she was alright, which made Zane do the same.

"Found it!" Christa said, as she stomped the ground and stood back.

Suddenly, the ground trembled and opened up where Christa stomped. It was s stairway that led downward in a large spiral. (Similar to the Serpentine cave dome, but it's a little smaller.)

"Okay, let's go guys," Christa said, as she started walking downward.

"Do we _have_ to go down there? It's kind of dark," Jay asked, and Christa replied, while walking down,

"Well it's not-not-not... AAHHH!"

Christa went running up out of the cave and grabbed onto Cole, who was standing close by. (Of course he was right there. ;) )

"Whoa, whoa. What just happened? Are you alright?" Cole asked in shock and concern, as Christa looked at him with wide eyes and said,

"It's really dark. I was overwhelmed!"

The others signed in relief.

"Here, take a flashlight Christa, just for you," Misako said with a smile, as she handed a flashlight to Christa.

Christa took the flashlight respectfully and said, "Oh thank you so much Misako. This will work nicely."

Christa hugged Misako, and she hugged back. Then Christa went and hugged Cole, who blushed but then he noticed that the other guys were looking at him tauntingly, especially Jay and Kai who were ready to make a comment. Cole furrowed his brows, and then he wrapped his arm around Christa, while holding his head up high like, 'Yeah, say something!' The three guys' eyes widened as they held up their hands defensively, and Cole nodded in approval. Christa then looked at Cole and smiled, while he smiled back.

After like a minute, Christa was leading the guys down into the cave. Zane was the last to leave, as he waved towards Dr. Julien, and he waved back.

"Well, what should we do now?" Dareth asked.

"Now we wait for them to return," Misako said, as she walked into the Bounty.

Dareth then walked in as well. Auria stood outside, looking out after the others left. There was a moderate breeze in the air that blew towards the left side of Auria. Suddenly, Auria felt a sharp pain on the left side of her head, and she held that side and cringed a bit.

"OW-A!" Auria yelped, as Dr. Julien immediately came over and asked,

"Are you alright Auria? You look like your in pain?"

Auria shook her head and said, "Um, I'm okay Doctor. Don't concern yoursel- AHH!"

Auria held her head tighter, as the pain came back sharper.

"Let me take a look," Dr. Julien said, as Auria moved her hand away slowly.

Dr. Julien pushed up his glasses, as he moved her hair a little and gasped as he said,

"Oh my... Auria, you have a scar of some sort on your head."

Auria's eyes widened and she replied, "What do you mean a scar? I don't remember receiving a scar, let alone on my head."

Dr. Julien inspected further by moving Auria's hair more and using a little light he carried in his pocket. Then he said,

"Yes, this is indeed a scar, but it is more of a burn, and there are two small indentions. I'm sure I can fix it for you Auria."

Auria looked at Dr. Julien and said, "If you may, Doctor."

Dr. Julien smiled and nodded, as he turned around and quickly entered the Bounty. Auria also followed behind him, a little stressed from this new discovery.

"Man this place is _really_ dark," Kai said, as they descended the steps down the dark cave.

"I know right? Even Zane's glowing head isn't helping so much," Jay said, as Zane looked at him unamused.

"I found the light switch," Christa said, as they finally descended the stairs to a flat ground level.

After Christa flicked a blue switch, five lights went on that were on the walls of the cave that aimed near the center of the room. Then a final light shined down from a higher location that aimed right in the middle of the cave's ground level. The guys gasped when they saw what was in front of them. There were four glass cases side-by-side that contained four, glowing platinum weapons:

The first weapon was in the form of a long sword with a few extra sharp tips to the translucent, platinum-colored blade. The handle had platinum and red stripes that spiraled around the handle up to the blade. The upper sides of the handle piece extended out to the sides in the form of red and orange flames.

The second weapon was in the form of nunchunks with platinum spikes on the bottom of each side. The color from the spikes to the chain went from dark blue, up to a light blue, and then platinum color, as it reached the blue and platinum colored chain that sparked with electricity.

The third weapon was in the form of a scythe, with a black and platinum colored staaff that spiraled from the bottom halfway up, and then the rest was vertical stripes of orange and platinum up to the blade. The scythe's blade was translucent platinum that, when it reached the tip, was multicolored in red, green, blue, black, and yellow.

The fourth weapon was in the form of two shurikens. They were a translucent platinum-color with five sides, and opaque white on the tips that lightly curved clockwise. There was a hole in the center and four small white dots around it.

The ninja were awestruck as they looked at each of the weapons.

"Oh my gosh. They're like the golden weapons, but cooler!" Jay said excitedly.

"Dude, they look awesome... or is it the dramatic lighting?" Cole said, as he looked around and then back at the weapons.

"What magnificence and grand craftsmanship," Zane said.

"Guys... I call first dibs on the sword!" Kai called out, as he ran towards the Platinum fire sword.

"Hey wait a minute! I call the nunchunks!" Jay yelled back as he ran forward.

"I got the scythe!" Cole called out, and he ran towards the scythe.

"I call the shurikens!" Zane yelled out, and he too headed towards the weapons.

Right before each of the guys stood a foot from the weapons, Christa jumped down right in front of them with a thundering sound as she landed. The guys skidded to a hault, as they saw Christa standing before them with her hands on her hips and one eyebrow raised.

"Guys really? Be gentlemen! These weapons are special and sacred. You should be humble and thankful that your even here!" Christa said, as she looked at each of the guys with a dissatisfied expression.

The four ninja straightened up and bowed to the kunoichi standing before them.

"Forgive us Christa. We became over excited," Zane said.

"We didn't mean any disrespect Christa," Cole said.

"Yeah, we're sorry," Kai said.

"Really sorry," Jay said and nodded.

Christa's face softened, as she nodded with a smile and said, "Thanks guys, and it's alright."

Then Christa moved to the side and said, as she pointed to each weapon,

"You can now take each of your weapons: The Sword of Rapid Flames, the Nunchunks of Shocking Lights, the Earth Scythe of Raging Rocks, and the Ice Shurikens of the Frost. Take your pick, see if they'll accept you."

The ninja nodded, and then they each, slowly, approached the platinum weapons.

Zane was the first to open the glass case to the Platinum shurikens. He slowly reached out and picked up the weapons as he carefully examined each one, and then... his eyes opened wide, as he felt a chill up his spine. A whirlwind of ice and snow surrounded him. The ice shurikens glowed immensely, as Zane closed his eyes and let the power of ice overtake his senses. His clothes began to change as well: His shoulder armor turned blue with four spikes, and the gloves, belt, and leg wrappings turned gold. The rest of his clothes turned pure white, with the shurikens drawn in gold on his shirt.

Cole was the second to open the glass case to the platinum scythe. He held the scythe up towards the light, and then he felt his arm trembling, as it spreaded out to the rest of his body.

"Oooohh maaan!" He said, as the scythe glowed brightly, and he let the power of Earth pulse through him.

Then his clothes transformed: His shoulder armor turned multicolored like the blade of the scythe, and his gloves, belt, and leg wrappings turned silver, and the rest of his clothes were black, with the scythe drawn in silver on his shirt.

Jay was the third to open the glass case to the platinum nunchunks.

"Whoa, these are so cool," he said, as he started to twirl the nunchunks around.

Then Jay felt a strong jolt through his body, as the weapon glowed more vividly.

"Wwwhhhaattt iiisss hhhaappeenniinngg?" Jay studdered, as he was being electrocuted by the nunchunks.

_'Wait a minute, it's not hurting me? Then...' _Jay thought, as he let the power of lightning surge though him.

Then his clothes changed: the shoulder armor turned dark blue, and the gloves, belt, and leg wrappings turned silver, and the rest of his clothes were blue, with the nunchunks drawn in silver on his shirt.

Kai was the last one to open the glass case to the platinum sword. He was examining the sword when it just lit on fire.

"What the?!" Kai said, as he looked at the flaming weapon, and then he felt a wave of heat across his body. Kai closed his eyes, as he felt the fire inside his heart grow even stronger. His clothes also changed: his shoulder armor turned red with four spikes, and his gloves, belt, and leg wrappings turned gold, and the rest of his clothes were red, with the sword drawn in gold on his shirt.

The guys were all standing with their eyes closed, as the power from the platinum weapons unlocked their powers and gave them an extra power boost. As the lights from this spectacle faded, Christa removed her arm from covering her face. She gasped in awe, as she noticed the changes in appearance of each of the guys.

_'Whooooa... hey... why didn't my clothes change like that?'_ Christa thought, as she shook it off when the guys opened their eyes and started to look towards one another and make comments.

"Oh SNAP! Look at us, we're glowing!" Jay said, as he looked at himself and the others.

"Yes, I sense that the platinum weapons have not only unlocked our powers, but have also boosted our overall skills in combat and elemental usage," Zane replied.

"Wow, this is so cool. I can't wait to show Nya, and Flare," Kai said, while looking at his sword.

"Dudes check us out. We're hot!" Cole said, as he swipped his scythe.

"Come on guys, we gotta get serious. We're suppose to meet the others after they save Lucy," Kai said.

Then Jay asked, "What? Dude your not even remotely wow'd by this?"

After a moment, Kai summoned fire from his sword that engulfed the whole blade in a red flame with white sparks that sprang up a few times. Then Kai replied,

"Are you kidding me man? OF COURSE I think this is AWESOME!"

Kai slashed the blade in another direction from the others, and a fire slash continued off his blade and sliced a part of the cave wall, leaving it with a large scorch mark.

"FIIYYAA! So that's how Flare did it... eh hem anyway," Kai said, as he retracted the fire from the sword.

"We have more important things to consider now since the others are fighting to save Lucy. Who knows what danger they could be in right now," Kai said.

Then Zane replied, "He's right. Although we have acquired our weapons, we should immediately set a course for the rendezvous point to see if the others need assistance. Knowing Silva, and Darkness, there's a high probability that they've set up a defense mechanism of some sort."

"Then there's no time to lose. Let's head out of here guys," Cole said, as he turned towards Christa with one hand extended towards the stairs and said,

"After you Christa."

Christa smiled and said, "Why thank you Cole. Your such a gentleman."

As Christa walked ahead with Cole not too far behind, the other guys followed and they were holding in their laughs, especially Kai and Jay since they saw Cole being such a gentleman with Christa. However, Cole heard their slight giggles, and looked up to see that Christa's back was turned. Cole then used his Platinum scythe to hit the stair below him, which made the stairs below flatten out, and left the three ninja sliding down while yelling out in panic.

"WHOA WHOA!"

"HEY!"

"OOHH!"

Cole just smirked, while Christa turned to look, but then Cole started moving her forward up the stairs.

"What happened to the guys?" Christa asked.

"Eh, don't worry Christa. They'll be perfectly fine," Cole said, as he looked down at the others with a cheeky grin.

"COOOLE!" Kai yelled out at the bottom of the stairs with one fist up, while Jay and Zane were trying to get up.


	40. Chapter 40 Remembrance

Outside in the Bounty, Dr. Julien was attending to Auria's scar on her left temple. Misako was also assisting Dr. Julien with the scar in the control room, and Auria's hair was no longer in a ponytail, but loose just passed her shoulders. Dareth stood outside on the deck to keep watch, as Dr. Julien was fixing up Auria's scar with a small torch to weld the wound close, since he already fixed up the damage inside.

"Okay... that's it... aaanndd... done!" Dr. Julien said with a smile, as he stepped back from Auria and turned off the torch.

Misako took a damp clothe and patted the area where the wound used to be.

"Okay Auria, that should do it. How do you feel?" Dr. Julien asked, as Auria stood up from sitting and rubbed her left temple with her hand.

"I feel much better there now. Thank you Dr. Julien," Auria said, as she smiled and bowed to Dr. Julien, who smiled and said,

"It's no trouble Auria. It's my pleasure."

Auria nodded, as she fixed her hair up back into a ponytail.

"Well it's a good thing you found that scar and it fixed. Who knows when it would've started to act up, especially if you were in the middle of a fight," Misako said, as Auria nodded with a serious expression and said

"Yes, that would have been most unfortunate, but since the matter has been resolved I shall resume my position on the upper de-"

Auria's left temple sparked where the wound was, as her mental system reconnected with the left part of her head that was disconnected by the wound. In that moment, a lost memory flashed within Auria's mind, and she gasped, as she realized what the memory revealed. Her eyes widened in shock, and Auria stood almost frozen in place as her eyes flickered back and forth, as if the memory was being projected right before her eyes. Misako and Dr. Julien looked at Auria in confusion and concern.

"Auria, what is it?" Misako asked.

"Auria, are you alright? What happened?" Dr. Julien asked.

After a moment, Auria snapped out of the flashback, and she almost fell backwards, as Misako and Dr. Julien quickly grabbed hold of her arms.

"Auria, what's the matter?" Misako asked.

"Is there anything we can do?" Dr. Julien asked, as Auria lowered her head and was breathing a little hard.

Then Auria straightened herself up, as Misako and Dr. Julien slowly released her arms.

"I'm... fine... but, there is something I must attend to immediately... I have to see if she is safe first," Auria said, as she started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Dr. Julien asked, as Auria turned towards them without looking at them directly.

"I'm going to Raven... tell the others to catch up as soon as they are able. Time is of the essence right now," Auria said in a calm, yet vexed tone.

Auria sprinted right out of the control room, as Misako and Dr. Julien ran to try and catch up with her. Auria ran up on deck, as she stood on the side of the Bounty where the Mountain went downward with both her Platinum wind fans held at her sides. Dareth was standing not too far away, and became confused when Auria just came running out of the Bounty.

"Hey Auria, what's going on? Why are you running for?" Dareth asked, as Auria just turned her head slightly towards Dareth, with a stern and even cold looking expression on her face, as Dareth backed up.

Then they heard someone yell out.

"Hey guys we're back! What's going... sister?" Christa asked, as she walked up the ramp on deck with the four ninja behind her, and noticed that Auria was standing on the railing.

Misako and Dr. Julien came running up on deck and saw that the ninja had returned, but then they turned their attention towards Auria.

"Sister? What's the matter?" Christa asked, as she felt that her sister had something in mind.

"I realized something crutial," Auria said and continued, "I didn't remember until Dr. Julien had repaired the damage to my left temple, but now that I have regained my lost memories, I can fulfill my promise to Sensei Reine. I know what I must do now. I remember... I Remember!"

Auria started glowing a bright grey color, as the others on deck shielded their eyes from the intense light.

"What's happening?" Jay asked, as no one really answered since they didn't know.

Then Auria's clothes began to change: her shoulder armor turned stone colored with the first two spikes upward and the last one downward, and her gloves and belt turned silver, and the rest of her clothes were grey, with the Fans of Roaring Winds drawn in silver on the front.

After the light had ceased, Auria still stood with her wind fans at her sides, as the others looked at her in shock and wow.

"Whoa, Auria, what happened to you? You look-" Cole said, as he was cut off by Zane, who said,

"Awesome."

The other guys looked at Zane questionably, as Zane just ignored them and walked towards Auria.

"Auria, your suit has changed, and it now looks similar to ours... I can further conclude that you and your platinum weapon are now in sync, and that it has given you a power upgrade. Although, I find this questionable since you had not received this before," Zane said, as Auria looked at her renewed uniform.

"Yes, I am in sync with my platinum weapon, because there is nothing in my heart holding me back, or my mind," Auria said.

"So your lost memories prevented you from reaching your... true potential," Zane said, as the other ninja gasped.

"Correct. I had forgotten a promise I made to Sensei Reine, which was a promise that reflected what was in my heart... but now that I remember it, I remembered myself in the process... and now I must do what is written in my heart and recollected in my mind. Poste haste," Auria said, as she jumped forward off the Bounty.

When the others ran towards where Auria jumped, a flash was seen and they haulted, as they saw a vehicle rise up. It looked like a revamped version of Auria's first platinum vehicle: It was like a plane with an extra seat behind Auria, but the wings were made of three large white feathers on each side, the back had grey, white, and platinum colored flowing strips, and the body of the platinum plane was an oval shape with thick vertical bands of black, grey, platinum, grey, and black colors. Auria pressed a few buttons on the control panels, and then she pulled up as she ascended to the skies and flew off.

"Hey wait, Auria! Where are you going?!" Christa called out, as Auria just continued to fly off since she didn't hear Christa's call.

"She said she was going to Raven. Something about making sure she was safe first," Dr. Julien said, as Christa turned to him with a concerned and questionable expression.

"Wh-what does that even mean?" Christa asked, trying to think of what her sister was taking about.

"Christa, I'm sure your sister has her reasons. Even if it doesn't make sense right now," Misako said in a concerned voice, and then she turned towards the ninja with a more serious tone,

"Auria said that you all should try to catch up with her if you are able."

The ninja looked towards one another confused.

"What does that mean?" Jay asked.

"When we are 'able'?" Cole asked.

"Hm, does it have to do with the platinum weapons?" Kai asked.

"There is a probability," Zane replied, as he shrugged.

"Yes, that's probably it," Christa said, as the others looked towards her.

Then she slipped on her platinum gauntlets with a serious expression, as she looked up at the others and said,

"Your weapons are an extention of yourself. Focus on what you have to do... where you have to go..."

Christa stepped up on the railing and stood with her arms straight out to her sides, looking at the others on the Bounty.

"Christa wait," Cole said in concern.

"Then... just... go," Christa said, as she closed her eyes and fell back off the Bounty.

The others gasped, but then they saw Christa bounce up on her circular platinum vehicle, as she continued on after Auria.

"Whoa... that was dramatic," Jay said, as Cole flicked him over the head.

"OW! Jeez man what..." Jay said while rubbing his head, as Cole just ignored him.

Then Cole started to look at his scythe.

"Extention of yourself..." Cole said in a whisper.

"What was that?" Kai asked.

Cole walked over to edge of the Bounty and jumped up on the railing.

"Oh not you too Cole!" Jay said in worry.

"Cole it's not worth it man. There's gotta be another way," Kai called out.

"I concur, life is more precious and valuable than any other aspect-" Zane was cut off by Cole, who turned towards the other guys in annoyance.

"I'm not jumping to my death guys!" Cole yelled, as the other guys just stood silent.

"Then what are you trying to do?" Misako asked curiously, as Cole looked back at his weapon and said,

"Christa said that our weapons are an extention of ourselves, and that we need to focus."

"Right, and..." Jay said.

Then Cole replied, "Sounds familiar doesn't it? Like the golden weapons."

The guys' eyes widened, as they brought forth their Platinum weapons and took a look at them.

"Ah ha yes... um what does that mean?" Dareth asked, as Zane clarified,

"The golden weapons and the platinum weapons are very similar, although the platinum weapons are actually stronger as we have seen when we sparred with the girls."

"So that means, just like how the golden weapons can summon vehicles, and Christa, Auria, and Flare can summon vehicles..." Kai said.

"That means we can summon vehicles TOO!" Jay yelled out in delight, as the three ninja looked towards one another with wide grins.

Then Cole said, "Boys, it's time to ride! In styyyllllleeee!" Cole said, as he jumped off the railing.

"Cole!" The guys yelled out, as they ran towards the railing and looked over, along with the others and saw a flash.

After the light faded, the ninja saw Cole in his new revamped vehicle: The front had a large drill like the Earth Drill on the Dark islands, while the back was like the Tread Assault from when Cole had the golden scythe. However, the drill was translucent with multiple color hues, the body of the vehicle was black with diagnol platinum stripes, the extra appendages that flailed out were white and gold, and the wheels were black with platinum rims.

"Aw sweet!" Cole said, as the Platinum vehicle descended close to the mountain.

Then Cole took control of his vehicle and was able to land on the rigged surface perfectly and swirve to a hault.

"Dude... THAT WAS AMAZING!" Jay yelled out.

"Come on guys, let's try this," Kai said, as he jumped on the railing.

"Yeah let's do this!" Jay said, as he jumped on the railing.

"Just like old times brothers," Zane said, as he jumped on the railing.

"Just like good old times," Jay replied.

Then the three ninja jumped off the Bounty screaming out,

"Wooohooo!"

"YEAH!"

"BE CAREFUL!" Misako yelled out towards the guys.

"BE SAFE SON! WE'LL CATCH UP!" Dr. Julien yelled out, as Zane looked back up at his father and said,

"ALRIGHT! COME AS SOON AS YOU CAN!"

Then Zane turned back around as he, Kai, and Jay were still free falling.

"NOW!" Kai yelled out, as the guys held out their weapons.

Each weapon started to glow brilliantly, and then three flashes occurred and three vehicles emerged:

Kai's platinum vehicle is a motorcycle but much larger. It looks like Kirby's fire tackle, a round front and flaring back. There was actual fire around the sides of the vehicle, like streams of flames, three on each side, and a larger flame that serves as the boost. There was one big wheel in the front covered by a red cover that goes over half the wheel, as well as over the one back wheel. The exhaust pipes go from the center outward towards the back, three on each side. There was a glass cover that went up in the front just over Kai's head. The motorcycle body was all platinum with red horizontal stripes, the round front has on orange glow to it, the wheels were black with platinum rims, and the exhaust pipes were all gold. There was an extra seat in the back.

Jay's platinum vehicle is a jet plane but not as huge as one, just for him and one other person behind. It looks like his old vehicle, but revamped. The wings were larger and the main two are platinum colored with black edges, while the extra wings were blue with black edges. The front has more of a point to it, and the body of the jet was blue, with two platinum lines that go from the front to the back and connect to two extra wings that that stick outward from the back. The cockpit has a silver rim around it, and the Lightning around the vehicle connects to the wings and moves in a wave from the inside to the outside, and there is a concentration of lightning in a spiraling ball under the jet where the cockpit is, near the front.

Zane's platinum vehicle is a revamped version of his Ice Speeder. It has one large wheel in the front and two medium wheels in the back, side by side. The front piece was like an ice claw that went ahead of the big wheel a few inches above the ground. The back opened up like peacock feathers but it was made of ice like a snowflake, and behind it was one large booster made of platinum and ice. The body of the vehicle has diagnol ice, white, and golden stripes. The wheels were white with ice rims, and there was an extra seat in the back.

"Dudes, these things are awesome!" Jay said, as he flew in the air and did circles and barrel rolls.

"Oh man! I missed my bike," Kai said, as he landed on the ground and then hugged the bike and patted it.

"Indeed. We have our vehicles again, and they even received an upgrade," Zane said, as he landed and spun to a hault, with ice surrounding him on the floor.

"Yeah, I know- Wait a minute! Now's not the time! We have to catch up with Christa and Auria!" Cole said on the radio, as the other guys agreed.

"Let's see how these babies roll!" Kai said, as the guys started their engines and drove down Mount Soaria.

Kai, Zane, and Cole drove on the ground, while Jay stood in the skies.

"NinjaGOOO!" The ninja yelled out as they continued to drive.

"Let's go too," Misako said, as Dr. Julien nodded.

"Aw man... when do I get a vehicle?" Dareth asked, while he slouched on the railing with his arms.

"Um... maybe some day Dareth, when you are ready," Misako said kindly, as Dr. Julien nodded in agreement.

Then Dareth signed and stood up.

"Alright, let's get going!" Dareth said, as he held his head up high and walked with Misako and Dr. Julien back into the Bounty.


	41. Chapter 41 Encouraged

Back to Team One:

They flew across the ocean on Ultra dragon until they saw the island where Lucy was being kept. They flew low so that they wouldn't attract unwanted attention so soon.

As they drew closer, Ultra Dragon started to growl as he recollected the bad memories of being on the island.

"Hey boy, calm down, it's alright," Lloyd said softly, as he patted Ultra Dragon on one of his center heads.

Ultra Dragon tried to relax, but it was hard since he had a really bad experience there. Lloyd tried to comfort his dragon, but it was pretty difficult.

_'What did they do to you boy? Or... what did __**he**__do to you?'_ Lloyd thought, as he remembered what Darkness said about Ultra Dragon being in chains.

"Let's land here Lloyd," Sensei Wu said, as Lloyd turned to his uncle and nodded.

He sat back and held onto the reins, as he landed on the beach with Ultra Dragon. Flare was the first to jump off on the sandy beach.

"Okay, passengers, off the dragon," Flare said, as she waved her hand for the others to jump off.

After everyone jumped off, Lloyd stood close to Ultra Dragon, as he tried to comfort him in any way he could.

"Come on Ultra Dragon, it's alright. We're here now and we're together," Lloyd said, as Ultra Dragon gave a low, gloomy moan.

Lloyd bit his lip as he tried to think of how to help Ultra Dragon. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder as he turned to see his father.

"Dad?" Lloyd said in surprise.

"Are you having trouble with Ultra Dragon, Lloyd?" Garmadon asked, and Lloyd signed and replied,

"Ever since we've been heading over here, Ultra Dragon has become more and more tense. I've been trying to calm him down, but he seems angry... and afraid at the same time."

Lloyd's brows furrowed, thinking of Ultra Dragon's distress. Then Garmadon said,

"Lloyd, I know it probably bothers you-"

"Why would **he** do this?!" Lloyd yelled out, as Garmadon stood silent.

"Why did Darkness take Ultra Dragon in the first place?! He didn't do anything wrong to him... why did he lock him up and chain him and..."

Lloyd looked at Ultra Dragon and noticed the scars on his scales, which made Lloyd's blood boil as he raised his fists up halfway, and said,

"He hurt him. He _scarred_ him! AAhh- huh?"

Lloyd turned to see that his father had grabbed him much more firmly on his shoulder, and had a more stern expression on his face.

"Lloyd. Do not let your emotions control your actions. You may cause more harm then good if you let your temper get the best of you," Garmadon said.

Lloyd thought about that, and then he took a breath in and out, as his hands relaxed and lowered.

"I'm sorry dad. It's just, this whole situation with Darkness and that he's after Raven, and then... this," Lloyd said, as he walked over to Ultra Dragon and petted the head closest to him.

Garmadon looked at his son with sympathy, and then he smiled, as he walked a few steps towards Lloyd.

"Then maybe you need a break, and maybe Ultra Dragon needs some 'female' guidance," Garmadon said, as Lloyd looked towards his father with an arched eyebrow.

Then Garmadon gestured towards someone to come over, as Lloyd turned to see who he was 'talking' to.

"Raven?" Lloyd said in surprise, as he saw the Purple Kunoichi walking towards them with her hands held together and a little smile when Lloyd said her name.

"Hey Lloyd. I wanted to, um, help you, and Ultra Dragon too. I can talk to him, and understand him," Raven said shyly, as she stood about a foot in front of Lloyd, while Garmadon took a few steps back.

"Oh yeah. You were able to talk to Tadi," Lloyd said, as Raven nodded.

"Yes. I guess it's because of me being part Black Mambian and all," Raven said a little charismatically.

Lloyd smiled at Raven, as she smiled back.

"I know Raven can communicate with animals, so I thought she would be able to talk to Ultra Dragon and help him out," Garmadon said in a lower tone, since he didn't want to interrupt them.

Lloyd looked towards his dad with a smile and nodded, as he turned back towards Raven.

"Huh... I guess I could use a break," Lloyd said rubbing the back of his head, as Raven's eyes lit up a little and she nodded confidently.

"Don't worry Lloyd. I'll help Ultra Dragon. You can count on me," Raven said cheerfully, as Lloyd's eyes softened and he smiled at her.

Then Lloyd took a step closer to Raven, and he caressed her cheek with his hand. Raven started to blush vividly as she looked into Lloyd's eyes, as he did her's.

_'My son. You're growing up so fast, and not just because of the Tomorrow's Tea. You've even found love, and with a remarkable young lady,'_ Garmadon thought, as he took a few more steps back, while he smiled at seeing the Green and Purple ninja together.

After a moment of being mesmerized by each other's eyes, Lloyd moved his face closer to Raven's, who didn't notice, as their faces were only a few inches apart. Lloyd felt that he wanted to move closer, but then he thought,

_'Wait, I can't get any closer... unless...'_

Lloyd glanced down at Raven's lips, as he realized that he wanted to close the gap between his and her's. Then Lloyd's face turned dark red, as he stepped back from Raven and was trying to speak, but no words came forth from his mouth. Raven was confused, as she tilted her head to the side and fluttered her eyelashes in confusion. However, Raven's gesture of confusion was so adorable that it made Lloyd want to kiss her even more, but then he felt a little ashamed of himself for wanting to because she looked so innocent.

"I.. I... R-Raven, I uh... have to... GO REST!" Lloyd said, as he ran off and used his Golden Dragon to fly quickly over to a rock formation that was pretty far from their current location, but still on the beach.

Raven's eyes widened, as she looked towards where Lloyd flew off to, and then she turned towards Garmadon, who had the same look on his face as he turned to her and just shrugged with a half smile. After a few seconds, Raven just shrugged innocently, as she approached Ultra dragon, who lowered his heads down before the Purple Kunoichi.

"Hello Ultra Dragon. I know you've been feeling pretty upset since we started heading back over here, but you have to let go of your fear and anger before we can move ahead," Raven said politely, as Ultra Dragon looked away with bitter pain on his faces.

"Ultra Dragon," Raven said, as she placed her hands on the two center heads of the dragon's face as all four heads looked back at Raven.

"I know your scared because of being locked up, and I know your angry because they hurt you, but you have to be brave and calm if you want to overcome your fear and your anger."

Ultra Dragon growled a little but not threatening.

"Grrrrr geerrrrrrr," 'What can I do to not feel this way?' Ultra Dragon asked to Raven, as she looked at him and replied,

"Just think about what your here for. Keep that in mind and let that be your drive to keep moving on forward, and never forget what your fighting for... or _who_ your fighting for."

Ultra Dragon's eyes widened, as Raven smiled confidently and said, "We're here with you Ultra Dragon. You told me before that Lucy helped you to escape your prison. I can feel your fear for her safety, and anger for her being locked up rise inside of you as you told me more about her."

Ultra Dragon looked down sadly, as Raven continued, "Lucy gave up her freedom to save you, and I know it bothers you because you feel that _your_ supposed to be the one who protects others, like the ninja when you fought the Great Devourer."

Ultra Dragon looked at Raven surprised, as she half smiled and said, "Lloyd told me about it during our time in Fountain Falls. I know as a dragon that you have that sense of protectiveness and perserving your Master's life and others who are your friends, but there are others who feel the same for you too. Like Lloyd, the ninja, and Lucy."

Ultra Dragon lifted his heads a foot above the ground, as he listened more intently to Raven, as she continued, "Lucy cares about your safety as much as you care for her's. That's why she let you go, and I bet she wonders if your doing okay too."

Ultra Dragon stood up on his feet, as Raven concluded, "Ultra Dragon, whether the going gets tough, we're all here to save Lucy and to help you too, like how you've helped us, and me. We'll do this for you, and you'll do this for her... for Lucy!"

Raven raised her hand up and held it high, as Ultra Dragon gained a new determination in his eyes, and raised his heads up and roared confidently and powerfully into the sky. Raven smiled widely, as Garmadon smirked and nodded at Ultra Dragon's reaction to Raven's words.

"So she has restored Ultra Dragon's courage," Sensei Wu said, as he stood besides Garmadon.

"Yes she has, brother. How interesting... she's so young, yet she can fight a vampire, sneak into a meeting undercover, become the Purple ninja, and restore a dragon's fighting spirit," Garmadon said, as Sensei Wu began to stroke his beard.

"Yes. There are a lot of things Raven has done so far that is truly remarkable. It is unmistakable that she would be the destined Purple ninja... and capture Lloyd's interest so profoundly," Sensei Wu said, as Garmadon turned to Wu with a smirk and nodded.

"Yes, she reminds me of Misako... determined, kind, and brave," Garmadon said, as he smiled thinking of his wife, as Sensei Wu nodded, respectfully.

Upon the rock formation on the beach, Lloyd stood pacing, recalling what just happened.

_'Aw man. What was I thinking? I mean, I do love Raven, and I know she loves me too... but the thought of kissing her... AAaahh!'_

Lloyd put his hand on his head, as he continued to think, _'A part of me wanted to, but another part of me didn't... She's just so innocent and sweet, and what if she doesn't want to kiss me yet? Yet?! What am I saying? I never wanted to kiss a girl when I was younger, or even be near one! I know I'm probably less grossed out by girls now since I'm older, but when I'm around Raven... She's not like any other girl I've met, and she's so brave__and kind. She was nice to me before I was good... she saw me for me, and I did the same for her when she told me she was part serpentine, and after getting to know her more... I guess I know what it means to fall in love, but I don't want her to feel rushed or uncomfortable... Uh!_ _This is confusing...' _

Lloyd continued to ponder this and didn't notice that a few people walked up on the rock formation.

"Hey Lloyd, what's up?"

Lloyd jumped up and turned to see Nya, Violet, and Flare.

_'Oh gosh,'_ Lloyd thought, but then shook off that thought as Flare approached him.

"Dude, what's with your face? You look confused," Flare said plainly.

"You do seem pretty off your game Lloyd, especially since you were startled so easily," Violet added.

Lloyd turned to the side and said, "I'm fine gu-girls. Really I am."

Nya walked closer to Lloyd, as he looked at her and then looked away.

"Lloyd," Nya said softly, as Lloyd looked back at her.

"I know that face. What's the matter? You can tell us, we won't tell anyone else," Nya said reassuringly.

"I might," Flare said, as Nya turned to Flare with an unamused expression.

"Hey, I said 'I might,' especially to Raven," Flare said, as Lloyd's eyes widened, and he blushed a little when he heard Raven's name.

Violet noticed and said, "Lloyd, is your current state being triggered because of Raven?"

Flare and Nya looked at Violet and then at Lloyd as their eyes widened. Lloyd's face became more red when Violet mentioned Raven, and he couldn't speak clearly.

"U-Uh, W-well, I-I, m-maybe..." Lloyd stuttered.

"What happened Lloyd?" Nya asked.

"Yeah, start making sense," Flare said, as she stood in front of the Green ninja with her arms crossed.

_'I might as well... they're not going to let this down so easily anyway,'_ Lloyd thought, as he signed and said,

"Okay. I'll tell you. You see-"

WACK!

Flare smacked Lloyd over the head. Violet and Nya gasped, as Lloyd held his head where he was hit.

"What was THAT for?!" Lloyd yelled out, as Flare stood with her arms crossed and calmly said,

"I just remembered that I didn't punish you for what happened in Fountain Falls with Raven."

Lloyd's eyes widened in shock, as Nya and Violet were confused.

"You know?" Lloyd asked, as Flare nodded and said,

"Yeah, I got it out of Kai. He didn't expect that I had a way with words and he slapped his head when he realized what he said."

Lloyd was a little stunned, but then he just shook it off.

_'I'll deal with Kai later,'_ Lloyd thought.

"Um, Ooookaaay... as you were saying Lloyd," Nya said, as Lloyd nodded.

"Okay, as I was saying... I've been trying to calm Ultra Dragon down since he's been so stressed about coming over here, and I couldn't find a way to help him relax. Then my dad came over and suggested that I should rest and let Raven talk to him. She was so eager and happy to help, she was just so pretty and... I just couldn't help but want to be closer to her, and I-I wanted to... to..."

Lloyd started to blush, as he recalled that moment.

"You wished to kiss her?" Violet asked with her amazing perception, which made Flare look at her with an arched eyebrow, Nya gasp, and Lloyd turn redder.

Flare looked back at Lloyd and noticed his reaction, which made her turn towards him with her arms uncrossed in fist and furrowed brows.

"You wanted to KISS her?! You son of a mother! How dare you kiss her delicate face without my consent!" Flare yelled out, as Nya's brow arched and she said,

"Without your consent? When did Raven need your consent? Your not her guardian."

"As her friend and superior, technically, I _am_ her guardian, and Auria and Christa are too," Flare replied as she glared at Nya, and she glared back.

"I think you're jumping to conclusions Flare. He didn't say that he kissed her," Violet said, as Lloyd quickly nodded.

"It's true. I mean I wanted to, but then I didn't because she's just so sweet and innocent and... I didn't know if _she_ wanted to..." Lloyd said, as Flare calmed down when she looked back at Lloyd.

"Oh, I see... well I'm glad that you respected and acknowledged Raven's feelings and not just your own. Good boy," Flare said, as she patted Lloyd on the head like a puppy while Lloyd just pouted.

"Well Lloyd, I'm glad that you gave Raven the choice," Nya said with a smile, as Lloyd nodded towards her.

"Yeah. Um, hey girls you wouldn't mind if you didn't tell Raven-" Lloyd said, as Violet cut him off and said,

"Our lips are sealed, don't fret."

Lloyd nodded and smiled. Then they heard a roar and turned to see Ultra Dragon standing tall and confidently.

"I guess Raven has a way with words too," Flare said, as she placed her hand on her hip.

_'Raven,'_ Lloyd thought, as he smiled when he saw that Raven was jumping up in delight at Ultra Dragon's gesture.

Right in that moment, Lloyd jumped forward and flew with the Golden Dragon over towards Raven and his dragon. The other girls just looked on and smiled. Ultra Dragon stood back on his four feet after his roar, and he nuzzled Raven with each of his heads.

"Aw, thank you big boy, your welcome," Raven said, as she petted each of Ultra dragon's heads.

Then Raven turned to see that Lloyd had returned and was standing not too far off.

"Lloyd," Raven said happily, as she approached the Golden Green ninja with Ultra Dragon running ahead.

"Hey big guy. You feel better?" Lloyd asked, as Ultra Dragon roared happily.

"That's good to hear," Lloyd said, as Ultra Dragon moved to the side when he saw Raven approaching Lloyd.

"Hey Lloyd," -Raven

"Hey Raven." -Lloyd

"So, um, Lloyd-" -Raven

"Thank you," Lloyd said, as Raven was surprised for a moment.

"Oh. Your welcome, and- WHOA!" Raven said, as Lloyd grabbed her and flew up with his Golden Dragon.

"Oh My..." Raven said in astonishment, as they flew above the ocean water.

"Wow," Raven said, as she looked and saw the Golden Dragon for the first time in all it's golden glory.

"This is awesome," Raven said.

"Yeah," Lloyd said, as they exchanged a smile.

Raven turned her head to look out towards the water, while Lloyd looked down and then back at her.

"Raven," Lloyd said, as she turned toward him and smiled.

Lloyd blushed a little and looked away as he said, "Uh, well, thanks for helping Ultra Dragon, and me too. I didn't know how to talk to him because I was upset about what happened to him, and that wouldn't have helped any better... and Raven I-"

Lloyd froze and stood quiet when Raven gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. Raven blushed a little and looked ahead, while Lloyd just stood frozen.

_'My dear Lloyd. I hope he__feels__better, like Ultra dragon,,'_ Raven thought.

Then Lloyd placed his hand on his cheek and thought, _'She... she kissed me.'_

Lloyd slowly started to smile, and he turned towards Raven, as she blushed and looked away from him. Yet, when Raven looked away, she looked back towards the beach and saw a tussle.

"Lloyd, Lloyd! Look, the beach!" Raven said, as Lloyd snapped out of it, and looked towards the beach.

"Let's go!" Lloyd said, as he headed towards the beach with the Golden Dragon.

Lloyd and Raven were able to land on the sand, as the Golden Dragon disappeared. They looked and saw not too far from them, a man in a black outfit with a grey hood, on the floor on his stomach, while Flare had her foot on his back and pulling his leg back as everyone else stood around watching. Lloyd and Raven looked towards one another in question as they both decided to walk over towards the others.

"Do You Give?" Flare said menacingly, as the man hollered out when she pulled back on his leg.

"DO YOU GIVE?!" Flare yelled out, as she pulled back on his leg even harder.

"AAAHHH! NOO!" The man yelled out, as Flare pulled back his leg even more, nearly touching his spine with his heel.

"DO YOU GIVE?!" Flare yelled out again, as the man screamed in pain and yelled,

"OKAY OKAY! I GIVE I GIVE!"

Flare released the man's leg, as he turned over and started rubbing it.

"Now if we may ask, do you work for Silva, and if you do, where is Lucy being held exactly?" Violet asked calmly, with her hands behind her back.

'Ah... top floor of the tower. You can't miss it, but it doesn't matter. You will never be able to save her! She is trapped, and there are more guards and weapons there then last time-"

WACK!

Flare wacked the man over the head with her platinum handle and knocked him out.

"Flare!" Nya called out, as Flare turned towards her and said,

"What? We can't let him tell the other guards we're here, and he already told us what we needed to know."

"But I don't think you needed to knock the mess out of him," Kerri said, as Flare just shrugged and said,

"To each his own."

Then Sensei Wu said, "We need to head over to the tower now before we are discovered. Let's go."

Everyone agreed, as they all stood together and took off on foot into the forest. Even Ultra dragon started running along with them.

**Sorry if there isn't much fighting in this chapter, but the next one will. ;)**


	42. Chapter 42 Fear and Rescue

"There it is, the tower," Garmadon whispered, as they all hid in the forest behind some bushes.

They saw a large field of grey grass and a tower of six stories that stood in the middle. Ultra Dragon growled, but he stood back as the others prepared themselves.

"Be prepared for anything, and stay together," Sensei Wu said, as the others agreed.

Then, once Lloyd took a few steps outside of the bushes, an arrow was launched and striked the ground right next to his leg. The others gasped, as Lloyd's eyes widened at how close the arrow was to his foot. Then team one looked up as they heard shouts.

"Look! Over there!"

"Is that one of them?!"

"I think... OH SNAP! It's the Golden Ninja!"

Suddenly, four parts of ground around the building opened up and four large black vehicles came driving out. There were also other people who were running out from the building and within the forest. The four black vehicles were trucks; two had large crossbows, and the other two had cannons. The rest of the people on the floor had multiple weapons likes swords, knives, bats, spears, nunchunks, and ... bricks.

"Well I guess they were prepared for us, eh Sensei?" Flare said with a smirk, as Sensei Wu signed and said,

"Then we must fight."

The ones who were hidden in the bushes stepped forth side by side with Lloyd in front of them.

"Then if it's a fight they want, it's a fight they get," Lloyd said, as he nudged his fist into his hand.

Everyone readied themselves for battle: Flare with her Shadow Scimitar, Raven with her Water Staff, Sensei Wu with his Spear Stick, Garmadon with his Spear Staff, Violet with her two daggers, Nya with her Samurai Long Sword and Star, Kerri with her hook blade sword, and Lloyd with his Golden powers.

"Let's GET THEM!" One of the minions yelled out, as the others ran over and drove the cars toward Team one.

"NOW!" Lloyd yelled out, as Team One charged forward.

"NINJAGOOO!" Lloyd, Raven, Flare, Garmadon, and Sensei Wu yelled out, as they used spinjitzu towards the minions.

Lloyd's tornado was gold and green, Raven's tornado was a light purple, Flare's tornado was orange and dark grey, Garmadon's tornado was a medium purple, and Sensei Wu's tornado was gold.

"SAMURAIGOOO!"

"VAMPIREGOOO!"

Nya and Violet yelled out, as they both ran forward and jumped towards the enemies.

"I WILL GOOO!" Kerri yelled out, as she attacked some of the minions.

During this clash, Ultra Dragon stepped out from behind the bushes and roared out towards the tower. Some of the vehicles drove towards Ultra Dragon to subdue him, but he whipped them with his tail and blew ice at them.

On the top floor of the tower, Lucy stood within her room with the ball and chain hooked to her leg. The two guards stood near the doors, as Lucy just looked down at her hands in front of the window. Lucy signed as she thought of her sister, her people, and Ultra Dragon.

_'I hope I get to see them soon,'_ she thought and then heard a loud roar.

Lucy's head popped up, as she immediately looked out the window and stood up. The two guards went over towards the window as well. Lucy gasped when she noticed a battle taking place and

"Ultra Dragon?" Lucy whispered, as she looked at the magnificant white beast freezing some of the minions.

The two guards were speechless, as Lucy smiled widely and jumped up and down the best she could since she had a chain.

"My Best Friend! My Best Friend! He came back for me! He came back! Oh my gosh, he returned to save me! Look, he brought his friends!" Lucy said, as she held both guards with her hands on their shoulders.

"Look at them! Look! Look!"

BAM!

Lucy took both guards by the sides of their heads and smacked them together. The female guards knocked out cold on the floor, as Lucy reached for the key in one of their pockets.

"Thank you miss," Lucy sang, as she unlocked the chain on her leg and backflipped.

"Time to Go," Lucy said, as she looked at the door and cracked her knuckles.

"Since they blocked the vent, I'll have to go down the front door. This should be soo fun," Lucy said with a smirk, as she ran forward and flying kicked the door open, as it smashed on the floor.

"Oopsie, a little too hard. All well," Lucy shrugged, as she ran down towards the staircase to the next floor below.

During the battles, Flare was using her Shadow Scimitar for the first time. She realized that she could manipulate the shadows of others and used them to grab hold of her opponents feet or trip them. She was also able to spin upward in the air while the shadows on the floor followed her upward in a spiral towards her blade, and then she would stake her scimitar into the ground, which would send the shadows gathered in her scimitar outward, and send the surrounding enemies flying away. Flare also would slash with her blade and send out a Shadow slash that would hit her opponent and temporarily blind them or they will hallucinate.(Kind of like the Venomari Venom but it's much darker so it's hard to see what's coming to get you.) One other thing Flare could do is actually sink into the ground and travel as a shadow, and then pop up and attack her opponents with shadow strikes. (Like how Cynder attacks with her shadow power in Dawn of the Dragon.) Flare can even use basic attacks like a back kick or a flip front kick and enhance them with her shadows so that it would hit her opponent with double the damage.

"WOOOHOOO Man! I'm smoking hot right now! YAYYA!" Flare yelled out in delight, as she shadow kicked her opponents and they went flying off onto more minions.

Raven was fightng at another side and she was testing out what other abilities she might have since she became the Purple ninja. Raven used her Water staff to attack, but she didn't know how to use any other power she might have.

_'What else can I do?'_ Raven thought, as she continued to fight with her staff.

Then she looked and saw that Sensei Wu was fighting not too far from her. He was using spinjitzu and smacking some of the minions away, but Sensei didn't notice that an archer guy was standing behind someone and was aiming for him right in the heart. Raven's eyes widened, as she noticed the archer guy's target and she smacked a few minions out of the way with her staff. Then, when Sensei Wu stopped his spinjitzu for a moment, the archer guy released the arrow straight towards him. Raven gasped, and when Sensei Wu looked, he saw the arrow heading towards him, but he knew he wouldn't be able to dodge it in time.

"NNOOO!" Raven screamed out, as she moved her hand forward and then

WWOOOOMMM!

Suddenly, an almost invisible sound wave had bursted forth from Raven's hand, as it went forward at full speed and knocked the arrow away, as well as anyone who was standing around it. Raven's mouth dropped open, as well as everyone who saw what happened, which was Sensei Wu, the archer guy, and a few minions. After a moment of silence, besides the others fighting, Raven closed her mouth and looked at her hand.

_'A sound wave,'_ she thought, as she looked back up at Sensei Wu, who looked at Raven, surprised.

Then the minions snapped out of it, but they were more nervous to fight with Raven and to even try to hurt Sensei Wu. Raven then thought, as she looked towards her staff,

_'Water.'_

Then she remembered when she used Auria's wind fan against Ryan,

_'Wind.'_

Next, she looked towards her hand,

_'Sound.' _

Finally, she looked towards Flare, who was fighting with her new shadow powers and thought,

_'... could I?'_

One of the minions grew tired of standing around and he jumped up to hit Raven with his normal staff.(Haha, normal staff ;) ) Lloyd turned around in that moment to check on Raven after he shot an enemy away with a golden energy ball.

"Raven!" Lloyd yelled out when he saw normal staff guy trying to attack her, as he jumped up and started running across the minions heads towards her.

"Raven! Above you!" Sensei Wu called out, and then Raven closed her eyes.

When the minion attacked downward, suddenly Raven disappeared, and the minion hit the floor. Lloyd jumped down off the other minions with a puzzled expression, as well as Sensei Wu, the normal staff guy, and the other minions around there. Suddenly, Raven popped up above the ground and sent the surrounding minions and normal staff guy up in the air, while shadow claws slapped all of them around. Raven back flipped and landed on the ground after her attack. The minions were bewildered, Sensei Wu was stunned, and Lloyd just stood in shock. Raven looked at her hand and thought,

_'Shadow... I can use four elements. What else can I do?'_

The other minions grew fearful of Raven as they stepped back, not knowing what other powers she may have. Kerrie was watching as well not too far off in amazement. Raven looked up and noticed the fear the minions showed.

_'They're afraid of me. Just like... just like when I ran away. Almost every place I went to, when people would find out I was part Black Mambian, they became afraid. They ran away, or they told me to leave... only a few__kids weren't afraid because I was a kid like them, and some adults. But mostly__everyone was afraid,__and I was left alone...'_

Raven's arm cringed towards her mouth, as she remembered the fear she brought to people because of what she was, and thought,

_'I wouldn't hurt anyone! I'm not a monster. I'm not a beast, but... I didn't have the powers I have now. What am I then?'_

Raven stepped back, as she started to feel fearful of what her answer might be.

_'What am I?'_ Raven thought, as she took another step back.

Then she felt a hand placed on her shoulder, as she looked up and saw Lloyd, who had a concerned expression on his face.

"Lloyd," Raven said in a low voice.

"Raven, what's wrong?" Lloyd asked, as Raven looked away and then back at Lloyd.

"I... I... Lloyd... am I... scary?" Raven asked in a low, almost shaky voice, as Lloyd looked at her a little confused and replied,

"What? Scary? Why would you say that?"

Raven looked down at her hand and then looked at the other shaken minions. Lloyd followed Raven's gaze and then he understood what she meant.

"Raven, your not scary. Your good, and kind, and beautiful... on the inside and outside," Lloyd said.

"But... there are people who are afraid of me because of what I am, and now... from the power I have," Raven said sadly, and Lloyd felt sympathy for her as he thought,

_'People ridiculed me because of who I was. Unlike my father, they didn't fear me... but when I became the Green ninja and gained my powers, then people acknowledged and respected me. But even when Raven became the Purple ninja, people are still afraid of her, and she's so much more than what others see. She's not only part__Serpentine... she's human... and she's my... my...'_

Lloyd's eyes softened, as he looked at Raven and said confidently, "Raven, I don't care what anybody thinks. I don't care what anybody says. I don't care if they fear you or not. They don't know who you are and how good you truly are on the inside... and that's too bad for them, because I know who you are, and your not bad, and your not scary. Your beautiful, your special, and your _my_ girl... and if any other people or serpentine don't like it..."

Lloyd turned around and protectively stood in front of Raven towards the minions.

"Then they'll deal with ME," Lloyd said in a deeper tone, as he held golden, concentrated energy in his hands, which made the minions back up and some of them started to run off.

Raven was surprised by Lloyd's words, as she processed them in her mind. (She's not a robot, I just used the word 'processed' because it makes sense.)

_'He doesn't care what others think or say. Like... how my mom and dad don't... and my friends... my new friends... even Ultra Dragon and Pearl. They don't care about __**what**__I am, they care about __**who**__I am... and I care about them too. They love me, protect me, and take care of me... No one else's opinion matters. I have my family and friends. I don't need others approval. I have them and myself...__that's what matters... and I have_ _Lloyd,'_ Raven thought, as she stood up straight and held her hands up in front of her.

A new confidence and reassurance grew inside of Raven's heart, and she stood tall and bold, as she thought,

_'I will not be afraid of what others think or_ _of what I am or of what the future may hold. I will not be afraid! I am who I am, and I will not let anyone tell me differently.'_

Raven closed her eyes and she spoke, as the minions, Lloyd, Sensei Wu, and all the others looked towards her,

"I am the Purple Ninja, and I know who I am! I know my destiny! No matter what others think or say, or what the future holds... I am Raven Via Azure, the Purple Kunoichi! That's who I am!"

Raven's hands began to illuminate in an assortment of purple hues, and then they started to concentrate around her hands. Raven stood with both hands glowing with purple energy, as she jumped up and held her hands across her chest. Then she sprang open her arms to her sides, as waves of purple power spreaded out from her palms across the grey grass and the people around her. The minions were pushed back, while Lloyd stood in place, and the grey grass around Raven turned green and vibrant, like if the grass was revived from it's grey despair. Lloyd was stunned, as he looked at Raven's display of power.

"Wow," Lloyd said, as he continued to look at Raven, as her eyes were actually glowing purple.

The others of the good group looked at Raven in surprise and amazement. After Raven's power started to cease, she slowly descended back down on the ground. For a moment, she was about to fall over, but Lloyd caught her in time. He held her up with her arm on his shoulder.

"Raven," Lloyd said, as Raven looked up at him and smiled.

"You said m-my girl. Did you really mean that?" Raven asked kind of weakly and happily, as Lloyd smiled and replied,

"Yes. I meant every word."

At that point, the others had gathered around them.

"Raven, that was awesome!" Nya said.

"Whoa hoo Raven, you got some power there eh? Nice," Flare said.

"That was exemplary Raven," Garmadon said.

"Your powers are growing Raven, and you've done well for your first time using such amazing powers. Well done," Sensei Wu said.

"Very impressive," Violet said.

"That was amazing Raven! Your getting so much stronger, and in such a short time. I feel older now," Kerri said.

Raven looked at the others with a smile and she said, "Thank you, all of you."

The others turned around when they heard shifting behind them. The minions stood a couple of meters away, weapons drawn, and ready to fight.

"Great, they still want to fight. You Guys STILL Want To Fight?!" Flare said annoyed with her arms outward half-heartedly, as the minions still stood their ground, although they were nervous.

"OHH SNAPPLES AND BACON! COOL LIGHTS!" -Someone yelled out

Everyone turned towards the tower to the random voice yelling out, and they saw a young lady standing there with jet black hair with two pink and two light blue streaks that went from the sides of her head down with the rest of her hair. Her hair went past her shoulders, although the pink and blue streaks were a little longer. She had bangs that just reached her eyes and slightly curled in and up. She wore a black sweater with blue lining on the pockets and a silver zipper. She had dark blue capri pants with black shoes that had a pink, horizontal strip across them. (Her clothes are a bit different from last time but not a major change just color.) She looked at everyone with a smile planted on her face, as they just looked at her shocked and confused.

"What's up?" Lucy said, as she waved.

"She... how did she escape?" One of the minions said, as Team One gasped.

"That's Lucy?" Nya said.

"She's... much more cheery than I expected since she's been locked up as a prisoner," Flare said.

Lucy put her hand above her eyes, as she saw Team One and noticed Lloyd, Nya, Sensei Wu, and Garmadon since she was able to peer into Ultra Dragon's mind and see them with him.

"Oh, HEY! You Guys Are Ultra Dragon's Friends Right? And You, Golden Guy! Your His Master!" Lucy yelled out, as she smiled widely.

The others looked towards one another, and then back at Lucy.

"Uh, YEAH! And You Must Be Lucy?" Lloyd yelled back, as Lucy nodded and yelled back,

"Yes I Am Lucy! Very Nice To Meet You All! And the others too!"

Lucy continued to smil,e as the others nodded back. Lucy gasped when she saw Violet and yelled out in happiness,

"OH MY GOSH! VIOLET IS THAT YOU MY FRIEND?!"

Violet raised up one hand with a smirk and yelled out,

"YES IT'S ME! IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU TOO PRINCESS!"

Then Lucy turned towards her right when she heard a roar of joy, as she gasped when she saw Ultra Dragon running over to her.

"Buddy!" Lucy said, as she ran over to Ultra Dragon with arms spread wide, as Ultra Dragon ran over to Lucy.

Then Lucy jumped up and landed on one of Ultra dragon's heads. She hugged that head, as she jumped on each of his other heads and petted him.

"Oh how I missed you buddy!" -Lucy

Then Lucy jumped on his sattle and petted him on his back and said,

"You came back for me."

Ultra Dragon purred, as Lucy stroked him.

Then one of the minions said, "Get them now!"

The other minions raised their weapons towards Lucy and Ultra Dragon. Team One was going to jump in, but Violet stood in front of them with her arms out towards her sides, and said with a smirk,

"There's no need to worry guys. I recommend we let Lucy and Ultra Dragon have their fun with their _old friends_."

Team One then stood back, as they saw that Lucy and Ultra Dragon were grinning.

"Come on boy. Let's play," Lucy said with a smirk, as Ultra Dragon snorted in agreement and hissed at the minions who started to step back.

"Get em Boy! IIIIII YAAHH!" Lucy yelled out, as Ultra Dragon stood up and each head prepared to attack with their element.

"RUUUUNN!" The minions yelled, as they tried to run away.

"Shoooot... NOW!" Lucy said, as Ultra Dragon shot out each elemental blast.

"Awesomeness is what we are, and we are awesome near and far," Lucy sang, while the minions ran from the fire and lightning, were smacked by rocks, and frozen by ice.

**They finally saved Lucy, but is the trouble over yet...?**


	43. Chapter 43 Master of the Water Staff

After the minions were beaten up or unconscious, Team One and Lucy came together to talk things over. Team One told Lucy that they came to save her, and about Marcell being forced to work for Silva for her sake.

"Oh my goodness! My poor sister has been working for them because of me... I feel so bad," Lucy said sadly, and Violet replied,

"Don't feel bad Lucy, it's not your fault at all. They threatened your safety, which Marcell cherishes above all things. We didn't realize that they intended to do that."

Lucy looked up at Violet and nodded in understanding.

"Okay..." Lucy said, and then she spun around and said,

"Soooo, who are all you guys anyway?"

Team One told Lucy all their names, and the names of those on Team Two.

"Oooohhh... coolness! I get to hang out with the heroes of Ninjago, and the princesses of Volcanic Lands, Aeroplane, and Fountain Falls? This day just gets better and better!" Lucy said happily, as she spun around gracefully in delight.

"Yes. You must be very excited Lucy, but we have to leave now so that we can meet the others if you don't mind," Sensei Wu said, as Lucy stopped spinning and said,

"We're going to them now? YES!"

Lucy hugged Sensei Wu, who was surprised at first like when Christa and Raven hugged him, but he returned the hug with a pat on her head. Then Lucy released Sensei Wu and did a back flip while chopping the air and saying,

"So where do we go now exactly? Do we have to fight some bad guys again?"

Then Flare said, "Hey, slow your roll. After whipping these guys here, I don't think they're going to come back for a while."

Lucy stopped chopping and shrugged.

"Hm, I guess your right. We whipped them silly, and especially you my Buddy," Lucy said as she looked towards Ultra Dragon with a smile, and then she hugged Rocky's face.

"So, are you bringing me to my sister?" Lucy asked.

"Once we meet up with the others, we'll set a course for Ouroborus," Garmadon replied, and Lucy smiled and nodded.

"Then let's hurry up and go," Flare said, kind of annoyed by just standing around.

_'I have to see Kai's face when he sees my shadow scimitar,'_ Flare thought with a smirk.

"We should head towards the rendezvous point to see if the ninja have yet to find the other platinum weapons," Garmadon said, and the others agreed.

During this conversation, Raven stood behind Lloyd, looking at her platinum staff. Raven noticed that every time Lucy would speak or if she would spin around, the platinum staff would glow brighter. Raven moved the staff further away from Lucy's direction, which made the glow lessen on the staff, and then she moved the staff closer towards Lucy's direction, which made the staff glow brighter.

_'What's with my staff? Why is it reacting to Lucy? Unless the staff... isn't __**my**__staff... than that means...'_ Raven thought, and she gasped, as she held the staff closer to herself in realization of her discovery.

Lloyd heard her intake of breath and turned towards her, as the others started walking towards Ultra dragon.

"Raven, what is it?" Lloyd asked, as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

Raven looked up at Lloyd and replied, "Um... well..."

Raven quickly glanced towards Lucy, who was petting Ultra Dragon with a big smile as the dragon purred. Then Raven looked back at Lloyd and smiled and said,

"I'm alright Lloyd. Thank you for your concern."

Raven hugged Lloyd, and then he hugged her back. They held onto each other for a while longer, until they heard a whistle, and then they parted.

"HEY! Get The Heck Over Here You Two!" Flare hollered, which made Lloyd and Raven smile and laugh a little, as they walked towards Ultra Dragon.

When they started to fly up high above the trees, Lucy was listening intently to the others, as they told her more about their journey so far... until she looked down and realized how high they were.

"AAhhh! So HIGH!" Lucy yelped, as she jumped up and grabbed Violet by her arm.

"Princess, don't worry, you'll be fine," Violet told her reassuringly, although Lucy was still shaking.

"But we're so high up and it looks scary! Are we getting higher to you, it looks like it!" Lucy said quickly, as she clung unto Violet's arm, like a frightened child clinging to their mother.

Raven, who was sitting next to Lucy on her right, started to pet Lucy's head and say softly,

"It's okay Lucy, don't be scared. We're all right here for you okay? And besides, it's not so scary. It's actually quite beautiful."

Lucy carefully sat up, as she looked over the right side of Ultra Dragon and saw the glimmering ocean water as they passed by the beach part of the island.

"Whooaa... it _is_ beautiful," Lucy said in amazement, as she continued to look out towards the sea water and beyond.

Raven discontinued petting Lucy, as she smiled seeing that Lucy was enjoying the view, even if she was still holding onto Violet's arm.

After they flew over to the forest area where they rested before and met Kerri, Team One decided to rest there for a while since they just finished their battle with the minions and rescuing Lucy.

"Oh man, fighting is awesome, but it works an appetite," Lucy said, as she stretched her arms upward after Ultra Dragon landed and everyone jumped off of him.

"Yeah, we need some food. I'll go into the forest and look for something," Kerri said, as she jogged into the forest and was seen no more.

"Yeah, I'm going to sleep then. Hey Ultra dragon, you wouldn't mind if I slept on your back?" Flare asked and Ultra Dragon shook his head and laid down.

Flare then jumped up on the large dragon's back and laid down while closing her eyes to sleep.

"What should we do after we regroup?" Garmadon asked Sensei Wu, as they both walked over towards where they were meditating before to further discuss the next plan of action.

Violet and Nya also joined Sensei Wu and Garmadon. Lloyd turned towards Ultra Dragon and patted him on the nose of one of his heads, as he turned and saw Raven and Lucy walking towards the forest. Lloyd called out to them,

"Hey girls! Where are you going?!"

Raven and Lucy turned towards Lloyd, and Raven called back,

"We're just gonna walk around! We'll be back soon!"

Lloyd nodded and said "Alright! Call me if you need anything!"

"Okay!" Raven said, as she waved and continued walking into the forest with Lucy.

As Lucy and Raven ventured through the forest, they were just talking about themselves and their parents:

Lucy learned about Raven being part Black Mambian, which she thought was cool, about Raven's homeland of Fountain Falls being an underground cave, about the Gem of Ages altering her age and returning Marcell back to normal, and about her travels from running away to Ninjago city to being reunited with Lloyd. Also, Raven told Lucy about the evil meeting and the Viporeon Pearl revealing Raven to be the Purple Ninja.

Raven learned that Lucy wasn't always a vampire and that she became one so that she could take care of their people with Marcell, about how they traveled around the world from place to place throughout the night since they don't need much sleep, about how Marcell first received the job by Silva to pick someone up for her, and that Lucy went to help out with something else but was told to stay in the tower to guard it, although that was a lie. Also, Lucy told Raven how she tried to escape before, and that she was able to free Ultra Dragon but then she got caught and was locked up again.

They took this time to talk, since Lucy just joined the group. As both girls walked onward, they ended up in a grassy area that had a large pond near the right side, and was surrounded by a circle of trees with vines and red berry bushes. Raven and Lucy walked towards the pond and looked into the water and at the plants that included Cattails, Asiatic Water Irises, and Water Lilies.

As they continued to look at the plants, Raven became a little sad as she took a few steps away. Lucy looked towards Raven questionably and asked,

"What's the matter? Why do you seem sad?"

Raven signed, and then she turned to Lucy and asked,

"Do you know about the Platinum weapons?"

Lucy took a moment to think about it, and then she replied,

"I know they were forged in Aeroplane, and that they each have an element infused in them... but that's all I know."

Raven nodded slowly, as she held her Platinum Water Staff in both hands horizontally, and said,

"Lucy, I think, well... when Auria, Christa, and Flare first received their weapons, they felt that they were being 'called' by them. When they held their weapons, they felt like the weapons unlocked the elemental powers within them, and that's how they were able to use their elements and platinum weapons but... unlike them, I wasn't called by the Platinum Water Staff. I just one day picked it up and started to use it. I didn't feel the surge of my element being unlocked. I didn't feel anything, but I was able to use the staff anyway..."

Raven looked at the staff, and then back towards Lucy, who listened intently and patiently.

"Well," Raven said and continued, "Since I've become the Purple Ninja I recently realized that, being the Purple ninja, I am able to use the other four elements of wind, sound, shadow, and water. So it makes sense that I would be able to use _any_ of the Platinum Weapons, but I believe that this staff is meant to be... with it's _true_ master."

Raven held up the water staff vertically with one hand, and staked it into the ground in front of her. Then she backed away, as Lucy looked on with curiosity. The Lucy asked,

"Wait, are you saying that... _I'm_ the true Master of the Water Staff?"

Raven gestured her hand towards the staff, as Lucy looked at it and noticed that it did glow brighter when she spoke.

"Hello?" Lucy said, as the staff glowed brighter.

Lucy gasped, "Whooa! Did I do that?"

The staff glowed even brighter, which made Lucy gasp again, and then she slowly reached towards it. As she grasped the glowing staff, Lucy pulled it up from the ground and looked at the glowing blue orb near the top. Then Lucy felt something inside of her unlock like a gate, and floods of water came forth from it. Lucy felt this power flow, as she closed her eyes and started to spin around with the staff. Water from the pond started to follow the staff, as Lucy spun around and twirled the staff like a dancer with streamers made of water. She stopped spinning and was twirling the water with the Platinum Staff, and then she jumped up and did a mid-air spin, while the water spiraled up with her movement. Lucy opened her eyes and held the staff upward, as she gracefully landed on the ground, and the water spiral was absorbed into the blue orb of the staff. Raven was amazed by how quickly Lucy was able to handle the Platinum Water Staff.

_'She really __**is **__the Master of the Platinum Water Staff,'_ Raven thought, as she smiled, but then she became sad because she had to give up the staff, a weapon that she wielded for a long time.

Lucy looked at the staff with a smile at how wonderful it was to own such a remarkable weapon.

"This is so cool! I'm so ecstatic! I can use such an awesome weapon and awesome power! -Gasp- I'm the Master of the Water Staff... I'M THE MASTER OF THE PLATINUM STAFF OF RAINING WATERS! Raven thank you-" Lucy cut off when she saw Raven's expression, even though she tried to look away to hide it.

Lucy looked back at the staff, and realized how Raven must have felt giving up her staff over to her. Lucy slowly walked towards Raven, holding the staff horizontally with both hands.

"Raven," Lucy said sympathetic, as Raven looked up at her and tried to hide her sadness.

"Would you like one last go?" Lucy asked with a smile, as she extended the staff towards Raven.

Raven's eyes widened, as she smiled slowly and let one tear escape. Raven nodded, and she gently took the staff from Lucy. Then Raven ran forth and started to surf with the water staff around the whole area and did flips, spins, and turns as the water followed closely behind her. Lucy's mouth stood wide open in amazement, as she watched Raven's awesome maneuvers.

"Would I be able to do that?" Lucy asked.

"You can do all sorts of things when you put your mind to it," Raven said, encouraging, as Lucy smiled.

Then Raven jumped down and landed, as she swirled the staff in the air and all of the water that followed her spiraled into the blue orb. Raven held the staff with both hands and smiled, and then she walked towards Lucy and handed her the staff. Lucy took the staff respectfully, and Raven nodded and said,

"You are the Master of the Platinum Staff of Raining Waters. Treat the staff well and yourself, as you continue your journey with it."

Lucy smiled and nodded, as she bowed and said,

"I shall assist you all in your journey to protect the world from Darkness and evil alike. That is my responsibility as the Kunoichi of Water, and I will gladly accept it."

Raven smiled, as she bowed back to Lucy. Both girls stood up, as they giggled and gave each other pound.

Then. when they were about to leave, they heard a voice say,

"How nice is it to see you two here alone. This should be easy then."

Raven and Lucy quickly turned towards the direction of the voice and saw Kerri walking out of some bushes towards them with a smirk.

"Ms. Kerri?" Raven asked, as Lucy stood in front of Raven, and looked at Kerri more carefully.

"Your voice... and that smirk! I've heard and seen it before," Lucy said, as Kerri's expression became more devious.

"Yes, I'm sure you have Lucy, and now it's time I send _you_ back to your tower, and _you_ Raven I'll send to Darkness!" Kerri said, as she tilted her head to the side while both of her hands were clasped together.

Raven and Lucy gasped, as they took a few steps back.

"Kerri! Y-Your working for D-Darkness?" Raven asked in shock, as Kerri's smile became more dark and villainous.

"You can say I do, and you can say I don't," Kerri said, as she moved her hands apart and outward towards her sides.

"But at this point it's pretty obvious, and I believe it's time that I **kill two birds with one stone**," Kerri said maliciously, as she started walking towards both kunoichi, who both stepped further back, unsure of what they should do.

Then, a sudden gust pasted between the two kunoichi and Kerri, as each side jumped back. They looked up to see something descent and land between them on the ground, while another powerful gust swirled around. After it passed, the girls looked up to see who was standing in front of them...

**Oh snapple...**


	44. Chapter 44 Crystal Panic

"Auria!" Raven yelled out happily, as Lucy looked on in shock. Auria stood with her back towards Raven and Lucy with her hair dramatically flowing in the breeze, as she held her Platinum fans in each hand at her sides.

"Oh wow... the Princess of Aeroplane," Lucy said, still in shock.

Auria looked over her shoulder to see Raven and Lucy.

"I guess I came just in time. You must be Lucy, and Raven are you alright?" Auria asked, as Lucy nodded and said,

"It's nice to meet you,"

and Raven said,

"We're okay Auria. Thanks for coming."

Auria nodded, and then she turned to Kerri with a cold and unnerving expression that surprised even Kerri.

"Auria... it's been awhile," Kerri said in a nervous tone, as she looked into Auria's eyes and saw a silent rage ready to be unleashed.

Auria didn't say anything at first.

"What's the matter Auria? Can't speak?" Kerri asked, as Auria took one step forth, which caused a pretty strong gust of wind to surge and push Kerri back.

"You have no right to speak to me or any of us. The only words I would allow you to say is 'I surrender' or **none at all**!" Auria hissed at Kerri, who's eyes widened with furrowed brows.

"I've never heard you speak with such contempt Auria," Kerri said, which served to enhance the strength of the wind encircling Auria.

"You of _all_ people should know why, Kerri," Auria said without a falter in her expression.

Kerri's eyes widened as she realized what Auria meant, while Lucy and Raven looked at each other in confusion.

"Ha...ha...haha...hahahahaha," Kerri laughed, and then she smirked deviously and said,

"So you remember now. That's unfortunate, but it makes no difference! Unlike before, I have much more power at my disposal."

Kerri put her hands to her sides outward, as Auria stood in a fighting stance with one foot almost behind the other, and one hand forward, while the other was bended up above her head. Before either side made a move, Christa jumped in, and landed a few feet from her sister and cracked the ground around her a bit.

"Christa!" Raven called out, as Christa turned and said,

"Hey Raven, and your Lucy right?"

Lucy nodded and waved. Then, Christa turned to Auria and asked,

"Sister, what's going on? Are you going to fight Ms. Kerri?"

Auria just turned towards Christa with her eyes, and Christa knew the answer.

"But why? I heard what she said to Lucy and Raven before, but why are you so upset?" Christa asked, concerned, but serious.

Auria turned her attention to Kerri and said, "She knew all this time, and she ran off like a coward."

Kerri glared at Auria and said, "Coward?! Nonsense! There is a time and a place for everything and I had other things to do-"

"Like running away and hiding in this forest?"

The girls looked, and saw that Flare jumped in from on top of a tree and landed not too far from Auria's side, opposite of Christa. Followed by Flare, Garmadon and Sensei Wu jumped in and stood one on each side of Lucy and Raven. Violet, Nya and Lloyd jumped in as well, surrounding Lucy and Raven as follows: Violet stood behind them, Nya stood in front, and Lloyd stood in front of Nya, which was about a few feet from Auria. Kerri saw all of them standing together, and she just laughed and said,

"Oh look how nice this is. All of you standing together, thinking you can stand against me. This is sooo precious... WELL GUYS! COME ON OUT!"

From the forest behind everyone came forth more minions, who wore all black with royal blue hoods on and white scarves on their mouths with different types of weapons as before. They also had two black vans with cannons on them and shooters ready to fire.

"How is your confidence now?" Kerri said tauntingly like a jerk, as she took a few steps forward.

Auria stood her ground, as the others prepared themselves for a brawl.

"HEY GUYS! WE'RE HERE!" A voice called out as engines roared.

"... Jay?" Nya said, as she looked around along with everyone else.

Then, from the two sides where Garmadon and Sensei Wu came from, emerged two vehicles from each side: Kai and Jay in their platinum vehicles from one side, and Zane and Cole on the other side, which was where the pond was, but Zane froze the water so that they could drive over it. All four ninja dismissed their vehicles and jumped forth with their weapons in hand, and landed next to Sensei Wu and Garmadon.

"Guys! Your here," Nya said in relief.

"Yeah, and it looks like we came just in time," Kai said, noticing all of the enemies nearly surrounding them.

"So, I'm guessing your Lucy right?" Cole asked Lucy, as she nodded and said,

"Yes, I'm Lucy. Hey guys, it's nice to meet you all."

"Hey Lucy," the ninja said simultaneously, and then focused they're attention on the enemies.

"So you managed to get the Platinum weapons, and even summon forth your own vehicles," Sensei Wu said, proud of his students.

"Yeah we did! We got our new weapons and awesome vehicles. We're smoking!" Jay said excitedly, as the other guys agreed.

"We've also gained a boost in our elemental abilities and overall skills, as we shall test out right now," Zane said, as the guys readied themselves.

While the ninja, Violet, and Nya readied themselves to fight with the minions, Lloyd, Flare, Auria, and Christa went to challenge Kerri.

"How promising... even the ninja have arrived! This makes things MORE Exciting!" Kerri said, while clasping her hands together.

"Uh, who's that?" Jay asked, and Flare clarified,

"She was friends with Sensei Reine and she tried to steal Raven and Lucy not too long before you guys arrived."

"How do you know? Weren't you sleeping?" Lucy asked, and Flare turned to her and replied,

"I sensed a disturbance, and I _was_ going to jump in, until Auria descended from the heavens awesomely."

As the others looked towards Auria, Flare and Kai happened to make eye contact. They were both surprised at seeing one another in their new attire and welding their new weapons.

_'She...' _Kai thought.

_'He...'_ Flare thought.

Then Flare said low, "Are you kidding me? The Platinum weapon empowered him too."

Then Kai thought, _'Even Flare got a new weapon and clothes... aw come on!'_

After that disappointing moment, Garmadon asked,

"But I thought you girls knew Kerri? Why is she doing this?"

"I'll tell you," Auria said, as she straightened up.

Kerri's eyes widened and Auria continued, "After Dr. Julien had repaired the damage that was present upon my left temple, the circuits in my mind had connected and revealed to me a lost memory from a long time ago..."

Everyone stood silent, even the minions, as Auria continued, while Kerri became more upset.

"One night I stood over at Fountain Falls with Christa and Flare. I couldn't sleep because I felt something odd in the air. When I stepped outside, I noticed that Sensei Reine was walking out of her castle, so I approached her and asked where she was going. She told me she had business to attend to, and that I should come as well with my Platinum fans. I agreed, and then we set off to the library archives. We sneaked into the archives when we heard a disturbance, and noticed that someone was stealing some scrolls. There was a thief who was stealing from the archives of the other lands that Sensei Reine knew would eventually come to Fountain Falls. When we confronted the intruder, it turned out to be Kerri. Sensei Reine and Kerri began to argue, which led to them fighting. As the battle ensued, I jumped in a few times to assist Sensei Reine, but my skills were not as adequate as they are now, and I was caught off guard by Kerri's next manuveur... she tried to... seal me in the Crystal prison..."

The others gasped, and Auria continued, "But before I could be sealed, Sensei Reine pushed me out of the way... I tried to help her, but it was too late. The last thing she told me was to protect Raven... Then she was sealed in the Crystal prison the next moment. I tried to break her out, but Kerri came from behind and knocked me over to the side. Then she took a powerful tazor and punched it to my left temple. That's why I forgot what happened that day, and why Sensei Reine is in the Crystal prison."

Silence had loomed over everyone as a wind blew across the people.

"...No. M-Mama... you sealed my m-mother," Raven said, shocked by what she just heard.

Kerri's head was down with her eyes closed and fists clenched.

"**YOU!** YOU SEALED SENSEI!" Flare yelled out, as the shadows on her blade intensified.

"Why? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!" Christa yelled out, as her Platinum gauntlets began to glow yellow.

Kerri stood quiet, then she started to giggle, and then she laughed out loud with her head up. After this, Kerri looked at the others and replied,

"You fools don't know anything. You don't know what it's like to lose everything, and then lose it again. Ever since _she_ came to Hotaka's School of Hidden Arts! Reine was skilled, talented, humble... They all loved her, and I admired her strength as well, but the stronger she became, the more my job was in jeopardy. They considered letting her take my place as Sou-Sensei of school. I couldn't let that happen... That title was all I had... I lost everything once, and I wouldn't lose it again! So during an underground mission, I let her get trapped down there so that she wouldn't be a threat... but then she escaped with Terrin's help, and they fell in love. She became Queen, and after she left the school, the head Sensei suspected that I had something to do with her disappearance in the first place. She told me to leave, and never return or she will deal with me personally. I was forced to leave the school immediately, and I left with nothing. I reunited with Reine not too long after that, but she was oblivious to my attempt to get rid of her and referred to me as a friend, which I accepted. But then I realized that the Crystal technique piece was located in the archives of Fountain Falls. Of course, I wanted to test it on Auria, but sealing Reine actually made me feel better, since I took some vengeance. I left to this forest and I've been here ever since, waiting for the day I would be ready to use the Crystal technique on my old Sensei. Then Darkness came, and I decided to assist him..."

Kerri smiled wickedly and said, "And I intend to complete my mission by bringing Raven and Lucy to him! Ah hahahahahahah!"

Kerri laughed evilly, as the three kunoichi became enraged by her mockery. The whole Ninja Crew felt an arising anger within them, as Kerri laughed right in their faces about her crimes.

_'Twice. She tried to hurt my mom twice...'_ Raven thought, as she was still shocked, and thought,

_'She froze my mother in that prison... but she didn't just hurt her... she hurt my dad and me, and everyone. How could she? Because she was scared? Because she was mad? What did my mom do? She didn't so anything wrong. I don't understand!'_

Raven held her head, as she tried to comprehend what she heard, and Lucy took notice. Then Lucy went over to Raven and stroked her head, like what Raven did to her when she was scared of flying.

"Calm down Raven. I may have just found out about what's been happening, but you need to try and stay calm," Lucy said calmly, as Raven started to feel a little better.

Lloyd turned his head towards Raven, and he noticed her turmoil. As Kerri laughed, Lloyd turned to Kerri with the utmost distaste, as she stopped laughing and noticed the storm ready to burst from the people in front of her.

"OOhhh, so what are you all going to do now? Hit me? Hehehehehe, **just try**!" Kerri said, as she held her hands outward, with a sinister grin on her face.

"ATTACK THEM!" Kerri shouted.

"NINJAGOOO!" The Ninja Crew shouted.

The minions ran over with their assault of weapons, as Kerri ran straight towards her opponents. Kai, Zane, Jay, and Cole used spinjitzu towards the minions, Violet and Nya jumped on the canons, and Flare, Christa, Auria, and Lloyd ran towards Kerri using spinjitzu. Raven and Lucy stood in the center with Garmadon and Sensei Wu guarding them. The ninja clashed with the minions, and Nya and Violet clashed with the cannons. The ninja noticed how much stronger they were with their Platinum weapons and continued to fight awesomely. Violet and Nya beat the sense out of the minions controlling the canons.

On the other side, Lloyd, Auria, Christa, and Flare fought with Kerri. At first, Kerri was dodging their attacks and throwing short knives and shurikens at the Ninja and kunoichi. Christa used her sound shields to protect her comrades and herself from the weapons, and Auria was able to throw the weapons off target with her wind. Flare was using the shadows to try to hit Kerri everytime she landed, and Lloyd was trying to catch Kerri and attack her when he could. Kerri stood light on her feet the whole time, until one point when Flare caught one of her feet with a shadow hand.

"Lloyd GO!" Flare yelled out, as Lloyd ran towards Kerri with golden energy charged up brightly in his right hand.

Right when Lloyd was going to make contact, Kerri just smirked, which surprised Lloyd even though he continued his attack.

BIFF!

Lloyd's eyes widened and he gasped as did the other kunoichi. Kerri was able to catch Lloyd's hand in her's, but the hand that caught his fist was encased in crystal. Kerri smiled evilly, as she raised her other hand that was also encased in crystal and upper-cutted Lloyd with it. Lloyd went flying up, and then Kerri jumped up and went to kick Lloyd, but he was able to block right on time when her foot executed the hit. He went flying back, but Christa was able to catch him, although she slid back.

"I gotcha Lloyd," Christa said, as she was able to place the Golden ninja down on the feet.

"Thanks Christa," Lloyd said, as he rubbed his chin since Kerri upper-cutted him there.

"Ah hahahahaha! You didn't expect _this_ did you?!" Kerri said, as she raised her arm to show her crystallized hands.

"What do you fools think I was doing this _whole time_ in this forest?" Kerri said, and then she noticed that the ninja, samurai, and vampire general had just finished fighting the last minions.

They turned towards her and started walking over, like bosses. Then Kerri said,

"Hahahahaha... **imbeciles!** I will _show you_ what a Crystal Master can _do_!"

Kerri floated up with crystals spiraling up towards her about ten feet off the ground. She moved her arms forward, the right arm up and the left arm down in a circular motion, then back the other way with the right down and left up. Then she crossed her arms and spreaded them outward towards the Ninja crew.

"Oh no!" Auria said, as Flare turned to her and asked,

"What's is it?"

"Her hand movements, she's using the CRYSTAL SEALING TECHNIQUE!" Auria yelled out, as everyone stopped moving and stood looking at Kerri in surprise.

"When I used this techinique before, I could only use it on one person and much of my strength was drained. But, after I mastered using the crystal powers, now it doesn't drain nearly as much power as it did before... and I can not _only_ seal one person..." -Kerri

Kerri moved her hands inward in balled up fists, then outward and said,

"But I can seal up to FIVE people now! And I know just the FIVE!"

Crystal pieces emerged from the ground and clinged onto everyone's feet.

"What?!"

"How?!"

"ERR!"

Everyone tried to pry off the crystal, but it wouldn't budge.

"How did she get this on our feet without us noticing?" Cole asked, as everyone looked around to think, and still tugged on the crystal.

Then Lucy said, "Her weapons... the weapons she used to fight you guys! Those weapons were made of crystal disguised as normal weapons!"

Everyone looked around and saw the weapons Kerri used before were now gone or 'melting' into crystals.

"Aw man! What?!" Kai said, panicing, as he smacked the crystal with his fire sword.

"Well dears, it's been fun, but I have a job to complete. Get ready to be sealed!" Kerri yelled out, as she opened her palms and crystal-spike circles came up from the ground around the five people.

The others gasped, as they saw who the five were:

Lloyd, Sensei Wu, Auria, Cole, and Violet were surrounded by the crystal-spike circles that came up from the ground.

"NOO!" Raven yelled out, but she couldn't move as she reached to the others, and especially to Lloyd and Auria.

"This Can't BE!" Jay yelled out, as he tried to move, but couldn't.

"NOO!" -Kai

"This Can't End Like This!" -Zane

"Brother! Lloyd!" -Garmadon

"NO! Please!" -Nya

"Not Like This!" -Flare

"AURIA! COLE!" -Christa

"AH! Violet!" -Lucy

"STOP!" -Raven

Violet was shocked but she tried to move her legs,

Cole was trying to hit the crystal with his scythe,

Sensei Wu tried to think of something, but to no avail as he struggled,

Auria tried to cut the crystal with her fans, but it didn't work,

and Lloyd was trying to pull himself out of the crystal, as he punched at it a few times with golden energy.

"AH HAHAHAHAHAHA! GOODNIGHT DEARS!" Kerri said with crazy eyes and a wide malicious grin, as she was about to close her hands and set the se-

SHHHHEEEEEENNNGGG! SLLLLAAASSSHHH!

For that moment in time, everyone stood in shock of the person who had just appeared...

**Classic Cliffhanger. ;)**


	45. Chapter 45 The Queen Returns

At that moment, the part below Kerri's left elbow was gone, and there was crystal that immediately wrapped around the nub on her elbow, and even on the rest of her forearm and hand that was on the floor just below her. Kerri slowly descended to the ground, as did the crystal that spiraled her up. However, her attention was more on the woman who stood not too far in front of her. The Ninja crew was stunned at Kerri's arm being sliced off, but more towards the one who sliced it. The crystal that was about to encase the others had become like light-blue crystal sand that fell off of them and sunk into the ground until it was gone, as well as the crystal that binded their feet. The woman had her head down low with her black hair covering most of her face, and she was bend low to the ground in a running position with her arm held up back behind her, with a sword that had green crystal trimming on the blade. The woman slowly stood straight up, as her sword came down to her side. She lifted her head up and looked towards the Ninja crew as she saw some familiar faces, some new faces, and...

Her eyes widened when she spotted the Purple Kunoichi, as did the Purple Kunoichi's eyes to the woman. Raven began walking towards the woman, as the woman walked towards Raven. They both stood with their eyes locked, as they continued walking towards one another. Auria, Christa, and Flare were so shocked they couldn't even move, except to follow the movement of the woman towards Raven. The ninja, Garmadon, Wu, Nya, Lucy, and Violet were stunned and confused since they've never seen this woman before, but her skills were clearly exceptional. Lloyd was in shock along with Auria, Flare, and Christa because he knew who this woman was. Raven and the woman stood two feet apart examining one another. Raven stepped closer and touched the woman on her shoulder, on her head, and on her shoulder again. The woman did the same thing to Raven, as they looked at one another in shock. Then Raven studdered as she said,

"M-M... Mommy."

The others gasped, and then the woman known as Reine said,

"R-Raven."

The mother and daughter looked towards one another for a moment longer, and then tears began to form. Raven's tears poured from her eyes as her lip quivered, and then Reine's tears flowed from her eyes as she started to smile.

"M-Mama."

"Raven."

"Mama!"

"My Baby!"

Raven and Reine embraced in a tight hug, as they both cried in each other's arms.

"Mama -sniffle- your here! Your _really_ here!" Raven said, as she buried her face in her mother's shoulder.

Reine smiled through her tears and said, "Yes my dear, I'm really here, and your here too."

The two stood for a while in their hug, as the others looked on like 'Aww' and some of them were sniffling like Lucy, Jay, and Nya.

"So beautiful," Jay said, as Zane patted his shoulder.

As Raven and Reine finally parted from their hug, they both smiled at one another, and they wiped away their tears. Reine looked at Raven down and up, and said,

"Raven... your older. But I haven't been gone so long. Did you use the Gem of Ages?"

Raven nodded and said, "Yes, but the gem was destroyed so, here I am."

Reine nodded in understanding as she looked at Raven's gi carefully, and said,

"Raven, your clothes..."

Raven nodded and said, "Yeah. Um, mom, well, we just found out that... I'm the Purple ninja."

Reine's eyes widened for a moment, and then she smiled and said,

"Hm, I figured that."

Raven was surprised, as well as the others around her.

"Wait, you _knew _Raven was going to be the Purple ninja?" Kai asked, and then Cole asked,

"But we just found out about this, how did you know?"

Reine looked towards them and smiled, as she said, "Research. I found out about the Purple ninja and the Green ninja a long time ago. My Sensei mentioned them to me, so I did some research and found out on my own."

The others were surprised.

"So you knew about the Green ninja and the Purple ninja from the beginning," Sensei Wu said, as Reine turned to him and nodded.

Then Reine turned and noticed her three students, who stood not too far from her. She turned to them fully and smiled as she opened her arms and said,

"What's the matter my pupils? Not even a hug for your Sensei?"

Christa was crying, Auria was crying, and even Flare shed a few tears, as the three girls ran over to their Sensei and hugged her.

"Sensei Your Back!" Christa yelled out in delight.

"Your finally here," Auria said happily.

"We're so happy to see you Sensei," Flare said with much relief and happiness.

Reine smiled at her students and hugged them and said, "It's good to be back again. You girls have really pulled through, and I can see that you've all have become much stronger."

As they parted from their hug, the girls wiped the tears from their eyes; Christa using both hands, Auria using one hand, and Flare using one arm. Reine smiled at her students and nodded, as they each put their hands together and bowed to their Sensei.

"That's right. She's their teacher," Kai said, as the guys looked at Sensei Reine and the Kunoichi.

"Man... imagine if we lost Sensei Wu for that long," Cole said, as the guys and Nya couldn't even imagine losing their sensei for as long as the girls lost theirs'.

They did lose Sensei Wu for a time when he was eaten by the Great Devourer, but not for about a year. Kai looked towards Flare, who was smiling towards her sensei, and he thought,

_'I haven't seen Flare so happy. She's really smiling... she looks... really pretty when she smiles. Uhh, did I just say she's pretty?'_

Kai continued to look at Flare, as he smiled.

Cole looked towards Christa, who was able to wipe away her tears finally, and thought, _'Christa... All this time you've felt sad, but you never showed it on the outside... Your always so bright and happy, and you always try to be strong for others... I guess I'm not the only one huh?' _

Cole smiled at Christa, as she continued to look towards Sensei Reine.

Zane looked towards Auria, as she was able to straighten up, although she still had a smile on her face, and he thought,

_'Auria's emotions have become more transparent ever since she gained her lost memory back. Her eyes have changed a little as well. They appear as though__they are__glowing. I wonder... although she usually keeps to herself, I wonder if she will be more open... to me.'_

Zane smiled curiously at Auria.

Lloyd turned towards where Raven was, and he walked towards her after Sensei Reine turned her attention to her students. He saw that Raven was smiling at her mother and friends as they finally reunited, and that made him feel content seeing Raven's happiness. He noticed that Raven still had some tears on her face, and he started to wipe them away gently with his hand. Raven stood still, and after Lloyd finished, she smiled at him and he smiled back.

Jay, who stood standing close to Nya, brought his hand close to Nya's and held it, as she turned towards him. Jay smiled at Nya, as she smiled back.

"How... interesting..." Kerri said, which made everyone look towards her.

Their eyes widened, and some of them like Jay, Kai, Cole, Christa, and Lucy, were gagging. Kerri had picked up her sliced limb from the floor, as she examined it. Sensei Reine stepped in front of her students with a serious expression as she looked towards Kerri. The others stood back, and Kerri continued speaking,

"I find it to be astonishing that you were able to break out of the crystal seal. Though I shouldn't be too surprised, since it's _you_ Reine."

Reine nodded and said, "Mmhm."

Then Kerri pointed with her detached arm to Reine and said, with a nonchalant expression,

"My only question is, _**how**_ did you escape?"

Reine, unphased by Kerri's detached limb, answered,

"My husband told me that he had found a way to help free me from the prison, and that he had help from one he refered to as Dr. Julien."

Zane's attention was immediately grabbed, as he looked around and noticed that his father wasn't present. Kerri then lowered her limb and said,

"Huh, how nice, and how inconvenient. Although it doesn't make a difference if you are free now. Chaos has spread throughout the lands since you've been gone. The only one who has been able to bring the lands and people together was Silva, although she has pretty... _dark_ means of persuasion. Something we have in common. And Darkness being in the picture has truly set everything in stone, if you catch my drift."

"Kerri," Reine said, with a nonchalant expression and a little anger and curiousity, as she continued,

"Why did you seal me in the first place? And don't say it was for what happened to you at the school because I told you already that Sensei wanted to promote _you_ to Sensei level and make _me_ a Sou-Sensei, but because of _your_ mistake, which you _admitted to me_ in the library, you lost everything you had. So TELL ME THE TRUTH Kerri."

The others gasped as they looked towards one another. Kerri closed her eyes and smirked, as she moved her missing limb towards her nub on her left arm.

"You caught on Reine. You must have heard me speaking to these fools before... Okay then, I'll tell you the truth... it definantly _was_ my fault that I tried to get rid of you to hold my position, which led to my downfall. I already recognized that, but that wasn't the reason I sealed you. You see, you have such a way with words that all the other villages, like Pulverize Peak town, wanted to hear you out, and they wanted to try to get along and sign a treaty for unity. So, instead of letting you help the villages, I sealed you with the crystal technique so that it would cause more division among the people... but Silva had another idea. By taking over each village, since they wouldn't protect one another, she used them to build an army of evil minions, as you can see."

Kerri gestured with her head towards the crowd of people, who were unconscious since the Ninja Crew took them down. The Ninja Crew looked at the crowd of people, and they felt kind of bad for hurting them.

"They were just... innocent people," Nya said sadly.

"Some were innocent, others weren't, but that doesn't really matter now does it," Kerri said with a smirk, as she held her cut off limb closer to her left arm nub and continued,

"With Darkness in play, all of this will be worth it. You fools can't stop him now. Not even you two."

Kerri refered to Lloyd and Raven, who looked at her with furrowed brows.

"Why are you helping him Kerri? Besides you being insane, what are you getting out of this?" Reine asked calmly, and Kerri just smiled and said,

"Doom and gloom. I just can't get enough of it!"

Kerri had an evil grin on her face, as she used her crystal power on her severed arm and was able to use the crystal to bandage her arm together. The others looked on curiously, and then they were shocked when Kerri was able to move her used-to-be severed limb again.

"Hm, so you've gotten better with the crystal have you?" Reine asked, as Kerri looked at her with the same dark grin and said,

"Yes my friend, I have. Let's see if you can beat me NOW!"

Kerri summoned crystal from the ground and stood up with her crystal spiral again. Reine signed, and then she smirked and said,

"Bring it on."

**Raven's mother, Queen Reine, is on the battlefield... let the battle commence!**


	46. Chapter 46 All Together

The others prepared themselves for battle, but then Auria stood in front of them with her arms spread out.

"This is Sensei Reine's battle. Be on your guard, but do not interfere," she said, and the others obeyed, though some with more reluctance.

Kerri and Reine then began their battle:

Kerri attacked first with crystal daggers that she sent towards Reine, who deflected each one with her crystal-edged sword, and actually cut one of them right in half. Then Kerri made three crystal spears and flung them at Reine, as Reine dodged with a sidestep, turn, and duck.

"Tell me Kerri, is this battle a one-on-one?" Reine asked, as Kerri smirked and said,

"It's one-on-one of course."

Reine smirked and then she jumped to the side as a crystal whip smacked down on the floor from Kerri. Then Reine went running towards Kerri, who summoned crystals from the ground up in multiple spikes of various widths as a barrier. Reine was able to jump up and walk-kick off the spikes upward, and then hopped across the spikes towards Kerri, who formed a thin crystal sword and held it in her right hand. When Reine hopped on one of the crystal spikes, Kerri also hopped on the same crystal spike that Reine stood on. They both had a short stare down with the black borders near their eyes. Then Kerri jumped towards Reine and slashed downward, as Reine jumped back to dodge and then moved forward to slash at Kerri. Kerri lifted her blade up and blocked, and then they both went back and forth with attacks and dodges and blocks. They even tried to kick or punch one another occasionally, and they fought each other for a while. Then they clashed with both of their blades and jumped back on two separate crystal spikes that were bend enough to stand on with their points aiming towards one another. The other crystal spikes had retracted underground, while Kerri and Reine readied themselves for a final attack.

Then they ran towards one another and hopped off the edges of the crystal spikes, as they attacked at the same time, and crossed each other.

CLAANNNKK!

Both women landed on the other's crystal spike, and stood standing straight up. The others looked in awe, as they waited to see who won, as a breeze blew over all of them and a few leaves swished by as well.

Then the crystal that both women were standing on began to sink down into the floor and disappear.

Reine and Kerri were on solid ground, but they still didn't move, until Reine brought her left hand to her right side, and Kerri ended up on one knee and held her left side. Kerri's wound was obviously worse than Reine's, since Kerri was on her one knee in pain, and Reine just held her side and turned around towards Kerri. Then Kerri said,

"Uhhhh, hehe, hehe... hehehehehe! Hahahahaha, AH hahahahaha! You haven't lost your touch Reine. Y-your precision is just as sharp, and strangely it seems to have improved. T-That's interesting, but..."

Kerri was able to slowly rise up and turn towards Reine while holding her side and looking at Reine with a dark smirk.

"I won't be defeated next time. I'll let you go for now, but mark my words with your lives: We **will** meet again, and hopefully soon," Kerri said, as she took a short bow, and then she whistled and used her one free arm to twist the crystal around her feet and spring up into the air.

Then a large black bird with green wings, red talons, grey eyes, and a yellow bill appeared and caught Kerri as it flew away. Kerri held on while smirking evilly at the others.

"She's Getting Away!" Kai yelled out, as Sensei Wu held his shoulder and said,

"Sometimes it's best to live, and fight another day."

"But," Kai said, as he turned towards Sensei Wu, and then Garmadon said,

"He's right Kai. Kerri is a dangerous opponent as we've seen so far. It's actually a miracle that she left us at all."

Kai thought about it, and then he put his head down, as he knew that they were right.

"Kerri is much stronger than any of us could have anticipated, especially with the crystal technique now being a regular part of her fighting style," Zane said kind of sadly.

"That's Kerri for ya. She always had some hidden skill that would catch her opponents off guard. Although, I think my first manuveur already set her mind to retreating," Reine said, as she walked towards the others, still holding her wounded side.

"Mom, your hurt," Raven said, as she hurried over to her mother.

"It's alright my child, I've had worse wounds than this," Reine said with a half-hearted smile, as she still felt the stinging pain from the wound.

"Sensei, you need some ointment for your wound," Auria said, as she stood next to her teacher.

"Yes. I have some I left on the Bounty," Christa said with a smile.

"Wait a minute, where _is_ the Bounty anyway? and my mom?" Lloyd asked, as Zane stood next to him and asked,

"And where is my father?"

"And Dareth?" Violet added.

Then Flare replied, "Eh what are you three so worried about? Besides, they just arrived."

Flare pointed towards the sky, and everyone looked up and saw nothing, but then they saw the Bounty almost emerging from the forest, and it landed right on the ground in front of them. The ramp was laid out as Misako, Dareth, and Dr. Julien walked down on it to greet the others.

"Mom!" "Misako," Lloyd and Garmadon said, as they hurried over to Misako, and she greeted them with a hug and said, "My boys."

"Zane," Dr. Julien said happily, as his son immediately headed towards him.

"Father, you made it safe," Zane said, relieved.

"My Darling!" Dareth yelled out with his hands up in joy, as he ran towards Violet, who was heading towards him with a smile on her face.

"Dare!" Violet said, as they both embraced in a hug.

"Oh my dear sweet Violet. I've missed you so much," Dareth said, as they parted from their hug but held each others' hands.

"Dareth, we've only been apart for a day," Violet said.

"But it felt like months! Let's never separate again," Dareth said, and Violet nodded, as they both smiled at one another.

As the others watched, some in amusement and some in 'aww', Jay noticed that no one was looking, so he walked towards Nya.

Then Jay asked, "Are you okay Nya? Your not hurt or anything?"

Nya gave Jay a kiss and smiled and said, "I'm fine Jay. Thanks to you and the guys."

Jay signed lovingly, as an idea came to his mind, and then he took Nya and dipped her while planting a kiss on her lips, and she kissed him back. In that moment, Kai just turned his head for a moment towards Nya and Jay, and then back to...

_'WHAT!'_

Kai turned back and, to his horror, saw Jay and Nya still kissing.

"JAY!" Kai yelled out, as he started to approach the Blue ninja with his sword drawn.

After Jay and Nya parted from their kiss and stood up, Jay turned and yelped like a puppy when he saw Kai coming towards him. Nya stood in front of Jay with her hands on her hips, looking at Kai with half-closed eyes, and Jay looked out in fear from behind her.

"Move out of the way Nya," Kai said, as Nya stood her ground and calmly said,

"Kai, your overreacting. You know for a fact that I love Jay and he loves me too. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me, and I know you wouldn't either."

Kai's eyes widened and his mouth hung open as he stood still, and even Jay's mouth hung open. Nya then smiled at her brother, and after a moment he signed and nodded towards Nya in approval as he put his sword away. Jay signed in relief. Kai knew that even though Jay is a chatter box, he is also reliable and he _did_ save Nya before when they were on that deadly rollar coaster ride.

_'I guess I can't blame him if he loves my sister. She's awesome, but...'_

When Nya wasn't looking, Kai went up to Jay and grabbed him by his collar and said, in a low voice so that Nya wouldn't hear,

"You better take good care of my sister or I'll be the _**last**_ person you'll _**ever**_ see, got it?"

Jay was silenced by fear, as he quickly nodded and was able to say,

"Y-Yeah, of course I will. No matter what I will t-take care of her w-with my life."

Kai nodded and said, "Right, remember that."

Then Kai released Jay, while Cole and Zane looked towards one another and signed in relief since they were glad that _they_ weren't in Jay's shoes. Then Cole turned around and he noticed that Auria was looking towards him, seriously. He looked at her curiously, as Auria looked towards Christa. Cole also looked towards Christa and smiled sweetly at her, but then Auria turned towards him with a more angered expression. Then Cole looked towards Auria again in surprise, but then in fear when Auria pointed at Christa and then at him as she nudged her fist into her hand. Cole was shock to see Auria threatening him like that, as well as Zane, who found Auria's gesture to be quite amusing.

"Reine!"

Everyone immediately turned and saw King Terrin, in human form, emerging from the forest.

"Dad!" "Hello Dear!" Raven and Reine said, as Terrin walked towards them.

"Your highness, your here," Christa said, in surprise although she was happy.

"Yes I'm here. Of course, when my wife decides to run off without much of an explanation, I would have no other option but to follow, and figure out what's going on," Terrin said, as he stood in front of Raven and Reine.

Raven hugged her father, and then she moved to the side to let her father and mother talk. Reine looked at Terrin and smiled, as he smiled back, and then he noticed her wound. He stepped closer and put his hand on her hand where her wound was, delicately, and said,

"Reine, my love, your hurt."

Reine looked down at her wound and then back up at her husband with a soft smile and said,

"It's okay Terrin, it's not that bad."

Terrin looked at Reine skeptically, and then he looked around his surroundings and asked,

"Is Kerri gone Flare?"

Flare nodded and replied, "Yes, she's off my radar now so we'll be alright."

Terrin nodded towards Flare, and then he turned his attention to his wife and whispered,

"Kerri won't be alright when **I** catch her."

Reine looked at Terrin in surprise, as he looked at her with a dashing smile, which made Reine shake her head.

_'That's my husband,'_ Reine thought with a smile, as Terrin put his arm around her back and helped her walk up the ramp to the Bounty.

"I'll get the ointment," Christa said, as she jumped up to the top of the Bounty's deck and ran inside.

The others followed behind Reine and Terrin, as they boarded the Bounty.

"Come your highnesses, I will guide you through the ship," Auria said, and Terrin and Reine agreed as they followed her into the Bounty.

"Sensei's finally back," Flare said, as she patted Raven's shoulder.

"Yes, my mom is back," Raven said, and sniffled a little.

"Wow, but did you see what she was doing?! All those moves and flips and attacks! She's amazing!" Jay said excitingly as the others agreed.

"Yeah, she's really skilled in swordsmanship," Nya said.

"Maybe you could learn something from her Kai," Cole said with a smirk.

"What? I'm the best swordsman here," Kai replied.

"Well we can all agree that your the best gloater, but best swordsman. Hm, that's failed to be seen," Flare said with a cheeky smile, as Kai glowered at her and said,

"Oh yeah? Well I have my fire sword, and you have your scimitar. We can settle this right now."

Flare just smirked and said, "Bring it on then fire breath, you won't stand a chance, and it's 'Shadow' scimitar by the way."

Kai also smirked and said,

"Hmph, we'll see... your royal 'loud'ness."

Kai took a mocking bow, as Flare's expression became annoyed and she whipped out her shadow scimitar.

"Guys, guys hold on a minute," Cole said, as he stood between them with his hands out towards them.

Kai whipped out his fire sword as he set it ablaze.

"Kai no, don't you dare," Nya said, as she stood in front of her brother.

However, Kai and Flare had their eyes locked on one another.

"Kai, dude, come on, your gonna let what she _said_ bother you this much?" Jay asked, but Kai didn't respond.

"Flare, please leave him alone," Raven asked, as Flare just stood her ground and said,

"Stand back Raven. I'm coming for him."

Then Misako said, "Flare, Raven's right, just leave him alone. I'm pretty sure you've all have had a rough day, just calm down and try to relax."

However, Flare didn't falter as she continued to lock eyes with Kai. Zane stood in front of his father just in case Flare and Kai started fighting, while Garmadon and Wu stood back. Wu face palmed, and Garmadon shook his head and said,

"That's _your_ student brother."

Next to them was Lloyd, who had a smirk on his face watching Flare and Kai getting ready to fight. Garmadon and Sensei Wu both turned towards Lloyd, and when Lloyd turned towards them for a moment, he turned back and asked,

"What?"

They continued to look at him.

"What?" Lloyd repeated, as Garmadon and Sensei Wu continued to look at the Golden ninja sternly.

Then Lloyd signed and said,

"Alright, I got it."

He walked a little closer towards the others, and stood halfway between Flare and Kai.

As the others stood in front of Flare and Kai to convince them to stop, Flare and Kai both side-stepped to the same side. They ran towards one another and was about to make contact with their weapons, when Lloyd created a small ball of energy in his hand and sent it out between Kai and Flare, as it blew up right in front of them. Kai and Flare fell backwards on the floor, and shook their heads since they didn't expect to be blown back.

As they both tried to stand up, Sensei Wu walked next to Lloyd and nodded, as Lloyd nodded back and moved next to Raven. When both ninja were on their feet, Sensei Wu spoke, with a serious and almost angered expression,

"Have you two not learned how to work together already instead of wasting your time fighting?"

Kai and Flare glared at one another.

"She Started IT!" Kai yelled out.

"And You Continued IT!" Flare yelled back.

"OH! So It's _My_ Fault Now!" Kai yelled again.

"Well It Takes Any _Spark_ To Start A _Fire_!" Flare yelled back.

"What's THAT Suppose To Mean?" Kai yelled back.

Sensei Wu at this point has had it.

"ENOUGH!" Sensei Wu yelled out, as the other ninja took a step back.

Flare and Kai cringed at Sensei's outburst and they bowed their heads towards him. Sensei Wu then gained his composure and said,

"You two started off on the wrong foot when you first met, but after we arrived at Aeroplane, you both become more friendly and hospitable. But that doesn't mean you should both lose your heads like this! Now... I want _you_ Flare to apologize to Kai."

Flare looked at Sensei Wu in disbelief, as Kai smirked.

"AND I want Kai to apologize to Flare."

"But-" Kai was cut off by Sensei's glare towards him.

Flare turned to Kai and signed before saying,

"I'm sorry Kai."

Kai looked at Flare surprised, but then he signed and said,

"I'm sorry too Flare."

Sensei Wu nodded, and then he said,

"Good. Now that that's settled, let us prepare ourselves. We have to travel all the way to Ouroborus to bring Lucy back to Marcell."

Lucy jumped up and said, excitingly, "I get to see my big sister?!"

Sensei Wu nodded and smiled, which made Lucy back flip with joy.

"Oh YES Finally! I get to see Marcell again!" Lucy said, as she ran into the Bounty.

"Wait Lucy... do you even know where your going?" Raven asked, as she ran after the vampire princess.

The others made their way into the Bounty, except for Kai and Flare, who stood behind. Flare walked towards the railing and just looked out at the land, and Kai looked towards Flare. He turned and saw that no one else was around, and then he approached her.

"Uh, Flare," Kai said, as Flare turned her head slightly towards Kai and replied,

"Hm?"

Kai rubbed the back of his and said,

"I'm... I just wanted to let you know that... I'm really sorry, for yelling at you. That was uncalled for."

Flare's eyes widened a little more in surprise, seeing that Kai was apologizing with much sincerity. She turned towards him fully, as Kai looked downward. Then Flare took a few steps closer to him, as he looked up into her eyes and she looked into his.

"Kai, thanks... and I'm sorry too. We shouldn't always resort to fighting to solve our problems, and to tell you the truth... I actually wanted to fight you on purpose. I wanted to see how much stronger you've become, especially with your new weapon," Flare said, as Kai's eyes widened in surprise.

Then Kai smiled in understanding and said, "Oh, so you wanted to see me in action huh? Well, to tell _you_ the truth... I actually wanted to see how much stronger you've become too."

Flare flicked Kai on his forehead, which he rubbed after the hit, and then Flare smirked and said,

"Well, we'll see when we train. I wouldn't want to mess up my lovey-dovey boy's FACE."

Flare emphasized 'face,' as she moved her's closer to Kai's, which made him blush as she turned and walked towards the entranceway into the Bounty. Kai was going to say something, but then he just shrugged it off and walked after Flare.

_'I wish she would stop doing that, but she looks cuter up close... WAIT, what am I thinking? I don't have feelings for Flare like that... or do I...'_ Kai scratched his head thinking about it.

Flare was thinking, _'Ah Kai, he's pretty easy to annoy, and pretty cute when he gets mad- WHOA, Whoa, What? What am I thinking right now?! I don't like him like__THAT! He's just a friend... right?'_ Flare pondered this, while she headed inside the Bounty.

Inside the Bounty, Wu, Garmadon, Misako, and Dr. Julien headed towards the control room, and Lucy was being given a tour by Raven around the Bounty.

Violet and Dareth decided to head over towards the kitchen to get something to eat, although Dareth was a bit nervous since when Violet gets hungry, her fangs begin to show.

"Don't worry yourself Dareth, I won't bite you," Violet said reassuring, as Dareth smiled and nodded as he said,

"Well alright, that's cool. Phew, I'm still trying to get use to seeing your fangs."

Violet looked down with a despondent expression. Dareth noticed this and he asked, with much concern as he placed his hand gently on her shoulder,

"Hey Violet? What's the matter?"

Violet turned her face away from Dareth a little, as he said,

"Hey, come on. You can tell me what's bothering you. It's my duty as a hero, and your companion, to help you with whatever problems you have."

Violet thought about it, and then she looked back towards Dareth, who was combing his hair, and then he turned to her with his full attention as he put the comb away really quick. Violet smiled a little, and then she signed and said,

"Dareth, there's something you should know about us vampires. The thing is, we weren't _always_ vampires..."

**Sensei Reine beat down Kerrie. New additions to the team are set. Secret of the vampires will be revealed. Almost to the halfway point of the story. Crazy and awesome things are going to happen soon. Stay tuned for the next chapter... soon.**


	47. Chapter 47 Three Pairs

Zane, Cole, Jay, and Nya were walking across the hall towards the tv room, since they wanted to watch the news and see what was going on in Ninjago city.

"Man, we haven't been in Ninjago city for awhile," Jay said, as he stretched his arms.

"I wonder if anything interesting has happened since we left," Nya said.

"Well, it_is_ the largest city in all of Ninjago with the highest population, so I wouldn't be surprised," Zane said, as he entered the room and Nya and Jay followed.

Cole was about to enter, but then he heard another door open. He turned to see Auria and Christa exiting the same room where Raven was first kept at when they found her in Ninjago city.

"I hope Sensei Reine will feel better," Christa said as they began walking down the hall, and Auria replied,,

"Don't worry Christa. Sensei will be fine. King Terrin will take care of her."

Christa nodded, as she looked ahead and saw Cole standing by the tv room door. He smiled, as she smiled back. Auria took notice and then she walked ahead of Christa. Auria looked at Cole seriously, as he became nervous. Then Auria nodded towards Cole and cracked her knuckles, as she entered the tv room. Cole gulped, as Christa walked over to him.

"So, um, Cole," Christa said, as she held her hands behind her back and looked away from him a few times, and added,

"What'cha up to?"

Cole glanced into the room where the others were, and then back towards Christa and said,

"Well, I was going to... uh, hey Christa, I haven't shown you my photo album have I?"

Christa tilted her head to the side and replied, "No, you haven't- Whoa!"

Cole grabbed Christa's by her hand and tugged her along with him towards the guys' room. When they were in front of the door, he told her to wait outside. As she waited, she heard pots and pans CLANK, chains RATTLE, and a BANG. Christa looked curiously at the door, and then Cole stepped out holding onto his photo album.

"Come on Christa," Cole said, as he extended his hand towards her with a smile and added,

"Let's go to the dining room upstairs."

Christa looked at his hand, and then back towards his face with a sweet smile, as she placed her gentle hand on his strong one. Cole blushed a little as he held her hand, and then he nodded as he led Christa across the halls up to the dining room.

After they entered the dining room, they sat next to each other. Cole laid the photo album on the table between them, and he opened it up. He showed her a few pictures he had of his father, the Royal Blacksmiths, and a few of himself when he was younger that he didn't show the others. Christa looked at each photograph with curiousity, and some amusement when she saw Cole's dad and Cole when he was younger.

"Your dad looks quaint. He seems pretty nice," Christa said, as Cole rubbed the back of his head and said,

"Yeah, he is... unless your his student."

Christa looked at Cole with a pout, and then they both started to laugh a little. As Christa looked at Cole's younger pictures she said,

"Aww, you were so cute."

Then Cole asked a little disappointed, "Were?"

Christa heard the disappointment in his voice, and she looked up at him and clarified,

"Of course you were very cute... and now your handsome too."

Cole's eyes softened, as he smiled at Christa, who smiled back and continued to look at the album.

"Sooo, your father is a singer and dancer?" Christa asked, while fluttering her lashes with a smile as Cole blushed a little, and replied,

"Yup. He won a lot of trophies and stuff with the other Blacksmiths..."

Cole told Christa more about his dad, the Blacksmiths, the school his father wanted him to go to, that he lied about going there, how he became a ninja, and then the time he revisited his dad and reconciled with him.

"Wow. It's so great that you and your dad made up," Christa said softly, as Cole nodded and said,

"Yeah, it was. He accepted me for being me, and I was able to make him proud... -sniff- ... it was pretty awesome."

Christa tilted her head to the side and asked, "Cole, are you crying?"

Cole's eyes widened, and he turned around and rubbed his eyes as he said,

"Uh. No. No... I was just... you know the dust from the photo album got caught in my eyes."

Christa leaned a little closer to see if he was crying or not, and Cole turned back towards Christa. When he did, both of their eyes widened by how close their faces were to one another. Christa immediately sat back, as Cole leaned a little back, and they both blushed and giggled a little.

Then Christa looked at the last picture in the photo album and saw all the ninja together with Sensei Wu, Garmadon, Misako, and Dr. Julien.

"When was this picture?" Christa asked.

Cole looked at the picture and replied,

"Oh that was after we defeated the Overlord. Before we met you girls and even Raven."

"Oh, I see," Christa said as she looked at he picture a little longer.

Then Christa looked down, seemingly sad, and Cole asked,

"What's the matter?"

"It's nothing bad. It's just that, seeing this picture of all of you together made me think, about my own team. We always were together through thick and thin, and no matter how bad things would get we would always be together... but when Sensei Reine was frozen in the crystal prison, although we would still see each other, it wasn't the same. We all were sad for Sensei Reine and, our team wasn't as close as we usually were... But... If it wasn't for meeting you guys, we wouldn't have come together like we did, and Sensei Reine may not have been with us either..." Christa said, and Cole looked at her in surprise.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You guys found Raven, you brought her back to each of our kingdoms safely, you let us come with you, and Dr. Julien helped free Sensei Reine from her prison... You guys really helped my team to get back together again. Thank you," Christa said, as she smiled at Cole.

Cole smiled back and said, "Your welcome."

Then Christa looked towards the photo album, and was about to close it since they were at the final picture. Cole looked at her and thought,

_'Christa, you've been through a lot, and your__so sweet... I... I really want to tell you how much I like you, but how? I'm too nervous! I gotta shake it off! I want to tell her, but does she feel the same way for me?'_

When Christa reached for the album and closed it, Cole placed his hand over her's, and she looked up at him. Cole placed his other hand on her shoulder gently, and then he looked deep into her eyes as she looked deep into his. He moved his face a little closer to her's, and Christa responded by moving closer to his, which left them only a lips' distance apart.

_'She does,'_ Cole thought happily, as they both moved closer... and closer... and then

SSSHHHHHOOOO!

Someone slid open the sliding door, which made Cole and Christa jump and pull away from one another to look at who opened the door.

"This is the dining room- Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone was in here," Raven said, as she looked at Cole and Christa, while Lucy stuck her head in.

"OOoooohhhhh, Wooow. It's really nice in here," Lucy said, as she pulled her head back outside.

Raven just shrugged and waved at Christa and Cole, who waved back, although nervously. After the doors closed, Cole and Christa stood silent for a moment and a little awkward. Then Christa got up and said,

"So... um... I'm going to go downstairs with the others. Do you want to come?"

Cole looked up at Christa and smiled as he said,

"Yeah sure, I'll meet 'cha downstairs, I gotta put this away first."

Cole stood up and picked up his photo album, and Christa smiled and nodded. Christa walked ahead, heading down to the tv room, while Cole waited until she left the room. Then Cole face-planted the photo album on his face.

_'UUUUhhhh...'_ Cole thought, as he signed since he wasn't able to tell Christa how he felt or show her.

(Bummer man) Then he shook it off and headed towards his room.

_'Next time,'_ Cole thought, as he exited the dining room.

_'W-We were so close. We almost... almost k-kissed! I mean, I __**do**__like him__a lot... He's strong, confident, smart, and brave, but what does__Auria think? I should ask her. She __**is **__my sister after all, and I respect her,'_ Christa thought, as she signed heading towards the tv room.

During this time between Cole and Christa, Auria had entered the tv room with Nya, Jay, and Zane. In this room was a pretty long red couch on the wall, and a pretty large tv on a stand a few feet away from it. Nya sat at one end laying her arm on the arm rest, and Jay sat next to her, while they were both holding hands. Zane sat next to Jay but he sat a little away from him since Jay was with Nya, so he wanted to give them some space.

"Oh hey Auria. Where did Cole go?" Jay asked first, as Auria turned to see that Cole was talking to Christa.

She was able to hear him say something about showing Christa a photo album.

"Cole had second thoughts," Auria replied, as Jay just shrugged and said,

"Eh all well."

"Auria, how's Queen Reine doing?" Nya asked, and Auria nodded and replied,

"She's doing much better. King Terrin is taking care of her so she'll be fine."

Nya smiled and said, "That's good to hear."

"Yes, great news indeed," Zane added, and Auria smiled as she walked over and sat at the other end of the couch next to Zane.

She placed her arm on the arm rest, as she looked at the television and saw that the news was on, which didn't show anything really important at this point. As Auria continued to watch the news, Zane looked towards her and noticed that her eyes seemed more vivid.

_'Ever since she gained her memories and true potential, Auria has become more lively and open. She doesn't conceal her emotions like she usually does with a nonchalant expression, although she is naturally casual and calm... I can see that she is a more spirited and energetic woman... she's more than what she seems, like myself.' _

Zane looked away quickly from Auria, when she turned to look at him. She felt that he was looking at her, but he seemed to be paying attention to the news.

_'I wonder...'_ Auria thought, as she turned back towards the television.

Zane then turned back slightly to look at Auria.

_'I feel something within my chest, almost warm... Why do I suddenly feel this way? I feel uneasy, but my heart feels whole. When I look at Auria, when I'm close to her like I am right now I feel... complete.' _

Zane looked down at Auria's hand that she kept on the couch right next to her. He looked at his own hand, and then back at Auria's. Slowly, he moved his hand closer to Auria's hand, and before he could make contact, her hand moved over his, and grasped it. Zane looked up, and he saw that Auria was looking at him with a smile on her face. He was a bit surprised, but then he smiled back and clutched her hand a little tighter. Jay and Nya noticed this, and they were both surprised, but then they smiled towards one another.

Zane moved closer to her, as Auria moved closer to him.

"Zane," Auria said, and Zane smoothly replied,

"Yes, Auria?"

"Will you really stay by my side? Like you said before in Fountain Falls?" Auria asked.

Zane nodded and said, "Of course I will, and.. you will stay with me too, right?"

Auria nodded with a soft smile and replied, "Yes, I will Zane, and thank you."

"Your welcome Auria." Zane said with a smile.

Then Zane asked, "Auria, do you think we..."

Before Zane could finish, Christa called out from outside the room,

"Auria? Are you there?"

Auria immediately turned and stood up as she released Zane's hand and walked towards the door.

"I'm here Christa," Auria called out, and then she turned and noticed that she left Zane on the couch alone.

She was going to walk towards him, but then he smiled and nodded, telling her to go to her sister. Auria smiled and nodded in understanding. Then she turned and walked out of the room to meet her sister, as Zane stood in the room and looked at his hand that held Auria's, and he smiled more widely.

"So you knew about the Green and Purple ninja, but why didn't you tell me about them?" Terrin asked curiously, as he leaned his head on his hand that stood on the arm rest of the chair he sat in.

Reine was sitting on the bed in front of Terrin, who had finished giving her the ointment for her wound. Terrin had already informed Reine of everything that she missed while in the crystal prison; about trying to break her out, the arguement with Raven, Raven running away and meeting the ninja, when she came home, and the evil meeting. Also, before Auria and Christa left, they informed the King and Queen of Fountian Falls about how Raven was found out to be the next Purple ninja.

"Well, I wanted to learn more about them... and I wanted to have all the scrolls that spoke of them, but since I was in the crystal prison, I couldn't acquire all the scrolls. But as you told me, Silva possesses most of the scrolls.," Reine said.

"Yes, wait, _most_? There are other scrolls?" Terrin asked, and Reine nodded and pulled a scroll out of her pocket.

"This one I kept on me just in case. I think the others should see this, but I just wanted to take a minute to relax," Reine said, as she placed the scroll back in her pocket.

"And... I wanted to spend some time with you," Reine added, as she extended her hand towards Terrin, who sat up and held her hand with one of his own.

"My dear Reine," Terrin said, as he kissed her hand and continued, "I've waited so long for this moment... to be by your side again. I've missed you so much."

Reine heard the sadness in Terrin's voice and she smiled at him with sympathy, as she stood up and kissed Terrin on the forehead.

"I've missed you too my love," Reine said, and she hugged Terrin and caressed his head, while he hugged her, still sitting down.

Both of them had let a few tears escape their eyes and slide down their cheeks, as they held each other for awhile longer.

"Oh, and Reine," Terrin said, as he looked up at Reine, who looked down at him.

"I believe our daughter has found... love, as well."

Reine's eyes widened, and she said, "Really? With whom?"

Terrin smiled a little, and then he replied, "The Green ninja, Lloyd. I believe they hold a special bond. He protects and cherishes her life, as she does for him."

Reine thought about Lloyd and Raven. She smiled and said,

"That's wonderful, especially since she found love with such a brave and heroic young man."

Terrin looked off to the side with a skeptical expression, which Reine took notice of.

"What's the matter Terrin?" Reine asked.

Terrin looked back up at Reine and replied, "I know he's the one who saved Ninjago from the Overlord, and that he is the Green ninja and Golden Spinjitzu Master, but... it's just that, Raven is _my_ little princess, and..."

Then Reine said, "Terrin. Your not... jealous, are you?"

Terrin looked more sternly towards his wife and said,

"What? Jealous of the boy? No..."

Reine looked at Terrin, skeptical, and said, "Terrin."

Terrin relaxed his face with a sign and said,

"I know the boy means well for Raven, and I know that they have a unique bond... but, she's my only child, and I guess I am a little more protective. I don't want to lose my baby girl."

Reine signed and gave a little smile, as she spoke, "Terrin, Raven is not a little girl anymore, even though the Gem of Ages made sure of that. Raven is more mature than most people her age. She's smart, perceptive, and your her daddy. She loves you. You'll never lose her to anyone, and I don't think the hero of Ninjago would steal someone's daughter."

Terrin gave a small, amused smile and thought, _'She's right. Raven is grown up, and she's not one to be taken lightly... and the boy- Lloyd, wouldn't hurt my daughter in any way. His life depends on it anyhow.'_

Terrin looked into Reine's sincere eyes, as she looked into his calm, glowing ones.

"Alright Reine, but you haven't really met him yet huh? Why don't you meet him now?" Terrin asked.

Reine nodded and replied, "Yes, I wish to know who has won my daughter's love, and you should rest here."

Terrin was a little stunned, and he asked, "What? Why?"

Reine replied, "You need some rest my dear. You ran all this way after me. The ointment restored some of my strength, but you need some time to rest now."

Terrin was going to protest, but he saw that Reine knew that he was tired. Terrin signed and smiled, as he said,

"Okay, Okay. I'll take some time to rest up. You'll be alright though?"

Reine smiled and gave Terrin a kiss on the forehead again, and said, "Yes, I'll be fine. You rest."

Terrin stood up from his seat, as he quickly wrapped his arms around Reine and kissed her on the lips, which surprised her by how fast he was. Then Terrin smirked and said,

"Stole one."

Reine just shook her head and smirked, as she said, "And your worried that Lloyd might steal Raven?"

Terrin was surprised by her counter, which made him laugh and reply,

"I guess that's why I thought he might."

Reine also laughed with Terrin, and then she kissed him back. As she started to walk out of the room, she kept her eyes lovingly on Terrin as he did to her's. Finally, Reine stepped out of the room, while Terrin walked over towards the bed and threw himself on it, while he closed his eyes to sleep.

**This chapter was more of a break/character developing chapter from all the fighting, but don't worry... more is to come... and it will be awesome... especially around Ou-**


	48. Chapter 48 Two Dragons, Eight Links

When Reine stepped outside, she saw Auria and Christa outside of the tv room. She smiled and walked towards her students.

"I-I think so," Christa said a little nervous, as Auria thought about what Christa told her.

"Well... you like him a lot, and he likes you a lot, so it's natural that you would feel the need to express your feelings through a kiss. But it may be too early to tell. I suggest you give each other a little more time before so, alright?" Auria said, as Christa nodded.

"What are you two doing here? Have you been standing here this whole time?" Reine asked jokingly, as Christa and Auria turned towards their Sensei.

"Sensei your okay," Christa said happily, as she gave Reine a gentle hug just in case she was still sore.

"Yes I'm alright now. I wanted to meet the others on this ship... plane... dragon," Reine said, and Auria clarified,

"Destiny's Bounty."

Reine nodded, "Yes, Destiny's Bounty. I would like to meet the others on your team."

Auria and Christa nodded.

A few moments or more before this:

Cole entered his room he shared with the other guys. He was putting his photo album away, when Kai came in.

"Hey Cole."

"Sup Kai."

"Cole, you haven't happened to see Flare any where have you? and where are the others?"

Cole turned to Kai and replied, "Not sure about Flare, but I know Zane, Auria, Jay, and Nya are watching the news, and Christa went with them. Raven is giving Lucy a tour... wait, why would you ask where Flare was first?"

Cole looked at Kai suspiciously, while Kai rubbed the back of his head, and replied,

"Uh, heh heh, I was just wondering you know. I haven't seen her since I walked in, and she walked in first, so I was just wondering where she was you know..."

Cole's expression didn't change, but as Kai was talking, Cole thought,

_'Why is he nervous? What is he hiding? ... No. No way...'_

Then Kai said, "I... I was just... trying to... avoid her! Yeah. Well not avoid her, but give her some space since we almost fought-"

"Do you like her?" Cole interupted Kai, as he stopped talking.

After a moment of silence, Kai spoke nervously, "Wha, uh, no, yes... she's just a friend."

Cole smirked and asked, "A friend? _Just_ a friend?"

Kai started to blush a bit, but he held it back and said, "Y-Yeah, _just_ a friend."

Cole replied with a smug sort of grin, "Oohh... so that explains why you and Flare are always bumping heads. You just wanna talk to her even if you fight huh? Your just hiding your feelings by fighting so that no one would suspect that you like her HUH?"

Kai started to turn more red, and he replied, "NO! That's NOT it! We j-just bump heads is all. It's NOTHING like that!"

Cole just shrugged and said, "Well if you say so, but I wonder what the other guys would think? and what _Flare _would think?"

Cole had his arms crossed with half-closed eyes and a smirk, as Kai turned more red from frustration and embarassment with his hands enclosed in fist. Then, a thought came to Kai's mind, and he smirked with smugness, as he said,

"Huh. Funny you should say that Cole. I guess while your telling the guys about me and Flare, _I'll_ tell them about YOU and CHRISTA!"

Cole's eyes widened, as his hands dropped down to his sides. He didn't expect that Kai would fight fire with... (okay that should have been expected... fire with fire... hahaha ;) ) Anyway, Cole's face had a light blush as his brows furrowed and he said,

"What... What are you talking about Kai?"

"Don't play dumb Cole! I know you like Christa, that's why you made us slide down the staircase in Mount Soaria. And who knows, the other guys might know already, but wait until I tell EVERYONE," Kai said, as he kept his smirk, and Cole looked at him in annoyance and slight fear.

But then Cole straightened up and said,

"Alright Kai. I won't say anything about Flare, if you don't say anything about Christa. I don't want anyone to know until I tell her myself."

Kai loosened up and nodded, "Yeah, your not the only one."

Kai and Cole gave each other pound, as they exited their room and headed towards the tv room.

Present:

When they entered the hall, they noticed that Auria, Christa, and Reine were outside talking.

"I would like to meet the others on your team," Reine said, as Kai and Cole walked over.

Christa and Auria noticed that the guys were next to them, and Christa said,

"Well, let's introduce them to you Sensei. Here we have Kai, the fire ninja in red, and Cole, the earth ninja in black."

Cole and Kai bowed in respect to Reine, who bowed too, without lowering her eyes.

"Pleasure to meet you ninja," Reine said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too your highness," Cole replied.

"Hm, call me Reine or Sensei Reine as the girls call me," Reine said with a smile, and Cole and Kai nodded.

"Come Sensei, let's introduce you to the others too," Auria said politely as Reine nodded.

They walked into the tv room. Zane, Jay, and Nya stood up when they saw Sensei Reine. Each ninja and samurai was introduced to Sensei Reine.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you all, in better circumstances of course," Reine said happily, as the others nodded.

Then, Lloyd walked into the room.

"Hey guys... oh your highness, your up," Lloyd said a bit startled, since he didn't think Reine was going to be there.

Reine turned towards Lloyd and smiled as she walked over towards him. She looked at Lloyd carefully, and said,

"Well hello to you Golden-Green ninja. It's an honor to meet you."

Lloyd smiled and said, "Yeah-Uh, yes. It's an honor to meet you too Queen Reine."

"Just Reine is fine, or Sensei Reine," Reine said, as Lloyd nodded.

Then Reine took a moment to examine the young master before her, and thought,

_'Well I see he is pretty handsome... but Raven doesn't care for appearance as much_ _since__she is not what she seems on the outside... she 'sees' the heart... what does she 'see'__in his heart?'_

Reine smiled at Lloyd, but before she could speak to him, Raven and Lucy arrived.

"Hey guys, Sensei Wu said let's go meet in the dining room," Lucy said happily.

"Hey Lucy, how did your tour go?" Jay asked first, as Lucy smiled and spun around,

"Oh it was great! It's soo nice here on this flying ship."

The others nodded, and then they headed off to the dining room. Raven and Lloyd were walking together with Reine not too far behind them. They both would look towards one another and smile sweetly as they walked closer together, while Reine took notice. Sensei Wu, Garmadon, Misako, and Dr. Julien were already sitting in the dining room. Dareth and Violet were also in the dining room too. The others were entering the room. Kai was entering last, but then he heard someone say out of nowhere,

"What, no ladies first?"

Kai jumped up and turned around quick, when he saw that Flare was standing behind him. Kai clutched his chest, and signed and said,

"Don't EVER do that again."

Flare just shrugged and walked into the dining room casually, while Kai walked in after her, a little shaken from his quick scare by Flare. ( ;) )

Everyone sat around the table as follows; Sensei Wu on one side alone since it was the smallest side of the table, and to his right in order was Garmadon, Misako, Lloyd, Raven, Reine, Lucy, Christa, and Auria, and to his left in order was Dareth, Violet, Flare, Kai, Nya, Jay, Cole and Zane. Dr. Julien sat at the other end of the table opposite of Sensei Wu. After everyone settled down, Sensei Wu called attention and began to speak,

"Students, friends, and new friends, it is my pleasure to say that our mission was a success. We have successfully rescued Lucy, protected Raven, and recovered the four other platinum weapons. We have also found out the identity of the Purple ninja, and we have also uncovered the identity of the one who froze Queen Reine in the crystal prison. It was fairly difficult for us to get this far, especially when it came to getting along..."

Sensei Wu looked towards Flare and Kai, who both looked away from him. Then Sensei Wu continued,

"But we were able to put our differences aside and utilize our strengths to work together. I am proud of my students, and of our new friends for their hardwork and perseverence. Thank you all."

The others were clapping and cheering.

"However..." Sensei Wu said, as everyone stopped, and continued,

"We still have to deal with Darkness and the others who follow him. They are still at large, and we have no idea when he will strike next."

"Don't worry Sensei, we got this," Cole said.

"That's right, we're all much stronger now," Auria said.

"I concur. If Darkness comes back ,we'll be ready for him," Zane said.

"That's right," Flare said.

"Darkness will be stopped Sensei, no matter what wicked plans he has in mind. Light will always conquer the darkness," Kai said, as he turned towards Lloyd and nodded, as Lloyd nodded back.

Sensei Wu smiled and nodded towards his students.

"That's great to hear from all of you," Reine said, and then she pulled a scroll from her pocket.

"How about I show you guys something pretty awesome," she said, as she laid the scroll on the table and rolled it open.

The others gathered around behind Reine and in front, as they looked at the picture depicted on the scroll:

It showed two people each on one side of the scroll near the center of where they were, and it showed four people on each side surrounding each of the two people. The person in the middle on the left wore green and golden attire with a golden dragon behind them, while the four people around them held four platinum weapons and they wore, red, blue, black, and white attire for each one. The person in the middle on the right wore purple and silver attire with a silver dragon behind them, while the four people around them held four platinum weapons and they wore, orange, cyan, yellow, and grey attire for each one. Everyone looked on in amazement.

"Whoa... that's cool," Kai said.

"Is that us?" Jay asked in astonishment.

"It looks like it," Cole replied.

"Who else wears those colors besides us?" Christa said in amazement.

"Wow... it's so obvious," Flare said, as she lightly smacked Jay over the head while still looking at the scroll.

"Ouch," Jay said, still looking at the scroll, amazed.

"What is this Sensei Reine?" Auria asked, as Reine smiled and replied,

"This is a scroll I found before I was frozen. My first Sensei told me about the existence of a Green ninja and a Purple ninja, so through investigation, I found this scroll. I was studying it and I realized that the eight people possess each element of the platinum weapons, and that the Purple ninja and Green ninja can use and master four of the elements of the eight platinum weapons. By doing so, the Green ninja and Purple ninja will be able to awaken their true potentials and be able to tap into their true powers; the Green ninja being able to use the Golden Dragon, and the Purple ninja being able to use the Silver Dragon."

The others looked towards one another, and then at Raven.

"The Silver Dragon?" Raven asked, as Reine clarified,

"Yes. The Green ninja can use the Golden Dragon, and you, being the Purple ninja, can use the Silver Dragon. It is similar to the Golden Dragon, but it has it's own unique style which you can tap into. But you'll have to train yourself with your elements before you can use such a technique."

"Ooohhh," the others said at the same time.

Raven was amazed, as she looked at the scroll at the Purple ninja and Silver dragon.

"That's incredible," Raven whispered.

"WHOA! So Raven can summon a dragon too? That's crazy," Jay said, as Reine nodded and said,

"Yes. She must prepare her body and mind before she can use it though.."

Reine looked towards all of the kunoichi and said, "You girls will help train Raven since you can use the same elements. Lucy, I shall train you myself to master your element. Once all you girls have mastered your elements and are in sync, Raven's powers will be fully realized, and then she will be able to summon the Silver Dragon."

The girls looked at their Sensei and nodded with full understanding.

"Do you think I can do it Sensei Reine?" Lucy asked a little nervous, as Reine smiled and said,

"I know you can, and you will."

Lucy nodded and smiled back. As Reine rolled up the scroll, the others took their seats and talked about how cool it was that Raven gets that kind of power. Raven looked at her hands, thinking about the power she will surely possess, although she was pretty nervous about it. Lloyd noticed this, and he put his hand on Raven's hands. Raven looked up at him and he smiled at her, as she smiled back.

"Don't worry Raven. I'll be there for you okay?" Lloyd said, and Raven nodded and said,

"Okay... thank you Lloyd."

Raven moved a little closer to Lloyd, as he moved closer to her and replied, "Your welcome."

The others looked at Lloyd and Raven, and they smiled as they looked towards one another.

"Hey, what's going on?" Everyone looked up towards the doorway and saw Terrin standing there with his hair leaning to one side and all messed up.

The girls besides Lucy, Nya, and Violet started to giggle.

"So you really fell asleep huh?" Reine said, as she walked over to Terrin and fixed his hair.

"I was more tired than I thought," Terrin replied.

"His hair always gets messed up when he falls asleep," Christa whispered to the guys.

"Really?" Cole asked and Christa nodded.

"He could sleep for five minutes and not even move and his hair will still be messed up," Flare said.

"What? How's that?" Kai asked, and Flare shrugged.

"That's one mystery of King Terrin," Flare answered.

During this time, Violet was pretty silent. She was looking down the whole time at her hands, lost in thought. Dareth noticed, and he gently placed his hand on Violet's shoulder. Violet quickly looked up at him as he jumped a little, surprised.

"Oh um, I'm sorry. Did I startle you?" Dareth asked, and Violet shook her head and said,

"No... I was just thinking."

"Is it about what you told me earlier?" Dareth asked, and Violet nodded.

"Should we tell the others? I mean I'm sure they can help you and the other vampires," Dareth asked.

Lucy looked up at Violet and Dareth when she heard 'vampires.' Violet looked towards Lucy, and as if she could read her mind, Lucy nodded. Violet nodded back, and then she looked back towards Dareth and said,

"I guess we should tell them. Although, I'm not sure if they can do anything about it."

Dareth nodded and said, "Don't worry my dear Violet. They're the heros of Ninjago. I'm sure they'll be able to help in some way."

"Did someone say heros?" Cole asked, as he and all the others turned towards Dareth.

"Uh, well guys," Dareth began and continued, "There's something you should know about the vampires. Apparently, they weren't ALWAYS vampires. They used to be normal people."

Confusion was marked on everyone's faces except Lucy, Violet, and Dareth.

"What? What do you mean they use to be 'normal people'?" Kai asked.

Dareth continued, "Well, as Violet told me, vampires didn't exist... until someone came over and put a CURSE on a group of travelers. They were just peaceful traveling merchants, until that person tranformed them into vampires. The culprit is still at large, but the merchants stood as vampires. The only way to remove the curse is if the vampire leader defeats the culprit in a battle, but since they don't know who the culprit was, the people have stayed as vampires. It's been 40 years since then."

GASPING!

"40 YEARS?!" Jay yelled out.

"They've been cursed for that long?" Raven said.

"Wait, but if that was 40 years ago, then Violet... how old ARE you?" Christa asked.

All attention was drawn towards Violet, as she signed and said,

"My physical appearance is no older than you Ninja, but I've been around for 40 years without the ability to age anymore. I am the few young vampires of our group. The older ones stepped down not too long ago because they felt it would be better if we learned to live on our own, and that was when Marcell and Lucy joined us 10 years ago, although they became actual vampires five years ago."

Everyone's attention then shifted to Lucy, who grinned at the others while showing her fangs.

"So you girls have been the same age since you first became vampires?" Cole asked, and Lucy and Violet replied with a nod.

"So, that would have been us," Kai said, as he, Jay, Cole, Nya, and Lloyd looked towards one another.

Then Violet said, "At first, you are shocked, then it doesn't seem so bad... But as the years pass, and as those who are not vampires that you know, love, and who are friends with begin to decrease... you start to feel... lonely... grief... heart ache... the more time passes, the more you would want to be human again."

Silence filled the room... then someone spoke,

"I know the feeling."

Everyone turned and saw that Auria was the one who spoke.

"Auria," Christa said, as Auria stood up and said,

"I know how it feels to know that you will outlive everyone, because of the accident I had years ago, I was turned into a cyborg to save my life, but I realized that my lifespan would be infinite as yours is. At first, I was glad that I could protect my family and friends, but then I realized that they would all be gone one day... I tried to run away at one point to not face that reality, but then I realized that I couldn't... I couldn't just run away from them, although it would be sad to see them pass on. I came back, and I promised that I would always be there for them until the end, and that I would do everything in my power to protect those I love so that they can live their lives to the fullest. That would bring me happiness... and... I won't be alone..."

Auria reached out towards Zane, as they both held hands.

"I have Zane. He is a Nindroid, and he has my same capability of life... We'll be together, and we'll never forget our friends and family..."

Zane and Auria exchanged a smile. Then Auria turned towards Violet and Lucy and said,

"You shouldn't give up hope. There is no way for me to be a normal human again, and Zane wasn't human to begin with. If there is a way you can be human again, then don't ever lose hope!"

Violet and Lucy looked at Auria with wide eyes at her strength, and then they both nodded.

"We won't," Lucy said.

"We'll make sure," Violet said.

Then Auria nodded and said, "We'll help you find the one who turned you into vampires."

Then Zane said, "Yes. We will do all that we can to help all of your people return back to normal."

Lucy nodded happily, as Violet nodded slowly, with a tear in her eye that she quickly wiped away.

"Are you crying?" Nya asked softly, and Violet turned to her and said,

"Yes, but these are happy tears."

Dareth turned towards Violet surprised and smiled, as Violet smiled back at him. ( ;) )

"Alright guys, so we have another objective besides beating Darkness. We gotta find the jerk who turned them into vampires and have Marcell kick them in the face," Flare said, as she nudged her fist into her hand.

The others nodded.

"Great, we have our priorities set, now... is there anything to eat?" Reine asked.

The others looked at Reine with one eyebrow raised, but then they felt hunger creeping in their bellies too.

"Oh man, we haven't eaten in a while huh?" Jay asked and everyone agreed.

"I'll take care of that," Zane said, as he stood up and released Auria's hand.

"Oh! Can I help make food too?" Christa asked cheerfully, and Zane nodded.

"Can I join you guys too?" Lucy asked, and they agreed.

**Soon...**


	49. Chapter 49 Dinner and Training

After dinner was made, the Bounty was back in the skies heading towards Ouroborus, and everyone on the Bounty came together in the dining room to eat. They sat in the same seats they did before but since there wasn't enough room, Terrin decided to sit outside and keep watch just in case.

As the ninja crew ate together and joked around and talked, Lucy watched her new team and listened intently at how they spoke to one another and what they were saying. When the conversations around the table started to quiet down a bit, Lucy decided to speak with a little smirk on her face,

"So you guys have known each other for a while now huh?"

The others looked towards Lucy and nodded while some said 'yes.'

"Oh I see," Lucy said and continued, "Yes it must be nice to fight alongside someone you really like, right guys and girls?"

Lucy took a sip of her drink as a few others looked at her suspiciously.

"And what do you mean by that exactly?" Flare asked calmly, as she took a sip of her drink.

Lucy placed her cup down and said, "I'm just saying it must be nice to fight along with someone you _looove_."

Flare choked on her drink, Kai choked on his food, Cole choked on food, and Christa put her hand on her mouth (she wasn't chewing anything). Auria just looked at Lucy wide-eyed as well as Zane, Dareth was surprised, and Violet looked at Lucy with one eyebrow raised. Jay, Reine, Nya, Raven and Lloyd just looked at the others since they were choking, Garmadon, Misako, and Dr. Julien were a bit confused, and Sensei Wu had no reaction (like a boss).

After the choking episode ceased, Cole asked, "Well, uh, I'm sure you just mean like friends right?"

Then Kai asked, "Yeah you mean friendly love right?"

Lucy then lifted her cup again and said, with a smile and mischievous eyes, "Not particularly. I'm aware your all close friends. What I'm saying is there are those of you who are _closer_ than that... Jay and Nya... Lloyd and Raven... Dareth and Violet... maybe a few others... "

Lucy took another sip of her drink, as the couples she mentioned blushed, even Violet, although with sheer will power she was able to keep her blush barely visible. Reine looked towards Lloyd and Raven, as they both noticed that she was looking at them. At first they were startled and a bit afraid, but when Reine smiled at both of them, it eased their tension. Garmadon and Misako smiled as well to see that Reine wasn't upset about it. Then Lucy placed her cup down again and said,

"Well of course I don't believe they're the only ones who have such bonds..."

Lucy looked at the others who looked at her surprised.

"Oh, so there are other relationships you know about Lucy? And to think, you just got here," Sensei Wu said.

"EH AH AH, Hold on Sensei," Cole said with his hands raised up defensively.

"Yeah, just because Lucy says so that doesn't mean it's true," Kai said.

At that moment, Violet slapped her hand on the table and the knife that was there popped up as she grabbed it, backhanded, and looked towards Kai.

"You will address the princess respectfully Kai," Violet said darkly, as Kai gulped and the others who were looking at Violet moved back a little.

"Um, I'm sorry, uh Princess Lucy," Kai said quickly to Lucy.

"There's no need for a knife Violet, at least not for them," Flare said casually.

"It makes getting the point across easier," Violet replied.

"True, but the thing is..."

Flare also smacked her hand on the table and caught a knife in her hand, backhanded.

"I'll be the one to deal with him if you don't mind," Flare said, as she looked at Violet, who sat next to her.

After a moment, Violet placed the knife back on the table as Flare did so too with a smirk. Jay was rubbing the back of his head as he said,

"What a nice thought to know who's got our backs."

Silence followed, and then everyone started to laugh.

"Jay, you actually said something funny," Cole said.

"Even if you didn't mean it," Christa said, as Jay pouted which made the others laugh more.

Outside, Terrin had a smirk on his face.

Traveling to Ouroborus would take a while, so the Ninja crew decided to take one day break, and then they would test out their new powers and train, especially for Raven and Lucy. Reine would teach Lucy about using her Water element, and Auria, Christa, and Flare would teach Raven to use their elements.

In the morning the kunoichi used the top deck and in the evening the ninja used the top deck (which they were happy about, but Sensei Wu still woke them up early). Beginning the training was Raven, who stood in the center, while Auria, Christa, and Flare stood around where she was in a triangle. Kai, Lloyd, Cole, Zane, and Jay stood near the bow of the ship, while Misako, Garmadon, Dr. Julien, and Sensei Wu stood on the upper deck watching. Terrin was sitting on the left staircase to the upper deck, while Lucy stood sitting on the other staircase with her Platinum staff and Nya was standing near Lucy. Reine stood standing next to Terrin on the bottom staircase watching the girls begin their training.

"Okay Raven let's see what you can do now, and then we'll help you excel in your abilities," Christa said happily, and Raven nodded.

"Go ahead Raven, show us what you got," Flare said, as she wiped out her Platinum Shadow Scimitar.

Auria wiped out her Platinum Wind Fans, and Christa wiped out and slipped on her Platinum Sound Gauntlets. Raven raised her hands up in fists and stood with her left foot more forward and the other more back. Raven looked towards Christa first. Christa punched the air and sent out a sound wave towards Raven. Raven spinned to the side, and then she punched the air the same way as Christa. A smaller sound wave had emerged, and it went towards Christa, as she side-stepped out of the way.

"She really _can_ use another element," Cole said, surprised.

Then Christa ran towards Raven and tried to attack, while Raven dodged. At one point, Christa tripped Raven and was about to hit her, when Raven held her hand up and a multicolored translucent shield appeared before her. Christa hit the shield and bounced back, which she instead did a back flip so that she wouldn't fly back.

"Already you can use a shield, good job Raven," Christa said, as she bowed to her, and Raven stood up and bowed back.

"Alright, me next!" Flare said, as Raven quickly turned towards Flare, and both girls readied them selves.

Flare stood holding her blade above her head back with her right hand, and with her left hand it stood forward out to the left. After a moment, Flare ran forward and began attacking Raven with quick movements, as Raven dodged each one. Then Flare charged up some shadows into her blade and tried to strike Raven, but then Raven grabbed the shadow blade just in time. They both struggled for control. Flare was moving forward, and then Raven began to push more forward, as she manipulated the shadows on Flare's blade in the opposite direction. Then Flare jumped back, and she slashed in Raven's direction with a shadow slash coming forth from her blade. Raven stood up straight, put her hands together in front of her, and when the shadow slash was close to her, she swipped her hands one up and one down and dispersed the shadow slash in those directions.

"Hiya!" Raven yelled out.

The audience was stunned by Raven's quick manuveur and some were like "OOOooo." Flare smirked, nodded, and then bowed as she said,

"Good. Well done, for now."

Raven bowed to Flare, and then she turned towards Auria, who nodded towards her. Raven stood in her fighting stance, and Auria only extended her arms out a little more. Then Auria jumped up and threw one of her fans towards Raven like a boomerang. Raven was able to dodge it the first time, and then she jumped up when the fan came back. In mid flight, Auria caught her one fan and threw the other towards Raven, who jumped towards it. Then Raven spun around and grabbed the fan, as she spun some more and then she unleashed a wind slash towards Auria. Auria spun and was able to dodge the strike, as she striked back. Raven was falling at this point, and she threw the fan towards Auria's wind attack so that it wouldn't hit her as she landed. When on the ground, Raven had to dodge a few more wind attacks, as Auria slowly descended to the ground. Once on the ground, Auria spun around in a short tornado, jumped out of it, and then smacked the tornado with her fan towards Raven. With little time to dodge, Raven got caught in the tornado and was being spun around in it. Lloyd looked on a bit worried, but when he saw that Reine and Terrin weren't worried, he stood where he was. Then the tornado that held Raven in it started to slow down. Raven had her eyes closed and she had her hands out to her sides. As she haulted to a stop, the winds around Raven continued to move around her in her control, as she made it spin around her like a wind shield. The ninja gasped, and the others were stunned.

However, Raven opened her eyes, and the wind immediately faltered and stopped. Raven looked at her hands concerned, as Auria approached her.

"W-What happened? It disappeared..." Raven said.

Then Auria replied, "You still need time before you can master using your powers. It's alright if you can't hold it for long, that's what training is for."

Raven looked up at Auria, and then bowed, as Auria bowed back.

"Interesting, very interesting," Reine said, as she walked towards Raven, and continued,

"As I can see it, your powers are starting to show more since you've acknowledged your power over them. However, they only seem to be usable to you when your in danger or fighting in general. Hm... we'll just have to teach you how to use your powers anytime and in full control. Well my dear child you'll have work to do."

Then Sensei Reine turned towards Auria and placed her hand on her shoulder, and said, "Well Auria, if you don't mind, may you be the first to train Raven in wind?"

Auria nodded and said, "Yes Sensei, I will."

Flare was questionable to this.

"Wait, how come Auria gets to train Raven first?" Flare asked, as Christa looked on with the same question in mind.

Sensei Reine walked closer towards Flare and Christa, who also walked closer to their Sensei.

"I feel it's best for Auria to train Raven since she has more experience using her element. Also, Flare I would like you to have more time to get to know your shadow element," Sensei Reine said, and Flare nodded respectfully.

Then Christa asked, "What about me Sensei? Do I need more time to train myself?"

Sensei Reine looked towards Christa and replied, "Well Christa... you need time to reflect on your heart, and then you can train Raven."

"What do you mean Sensei?" Christa asked, and Sensei Reine replied,

"You'll figure it out soon, your very close."

Christa nodded, although she was still wondering about what Sensei Reine meant. Auria looked towards Raven and asked,

"Are you ready?"

Raven looked towards Auria and nodded, "I'm ready."

Sensei Reine, Christa, and Flare cleared the area where Auria and Raven stood. Auria then grabbed a random sack of sand that stood on one side of the deck. She set it a few feet away from Raven, and then she stood next to Raven.

"For your first lesson, you will learn to harness the wind and use it to move the sack further away from you." Auria closed her fans and hung them on the sides of her belt.

Then she put her hands together, and as she separated them a current of wind formed between her separating hands. Then Auria took her right hand and made a circular motion up and then forward towards the bag. The wind current moved forward with much speed, as it pushed the bag away a few more feet.

"Oh," Raven said.

Then Auria pulled her right hand back towards herself, as the wind current pushed the bag from behind closer to it's original spot. Then Auria turned towards Raven and said,

"All you need to do is move the bag forward. You don't have to move it back."

Raven nodded, and then she put her hands together and closed her eyes. She slowly separated her hands, and a small wind current began to form. The others looked on in amazement as the wind current between Raven's hands began to grow. The air around Raven began to spiral around her as well, which alerted Auria.

"Raven, you don't need that much power," Auria said.

"But, I can't... I can't control it..." Raven said, while her hands were shaking, as the wind spiraling around her intensified and grew larger.

"Raven stop, cut it off," Auria said, as the others on the Bounty grew concerned.

"I'm trying... it's... AH!" Raven yelled out, as she opened her eyes and immediately the wind dispersed violently outward.

The ninja blocked themselves, as well as the kunoichi, and the others ducked down and covered themselves, as the powerful gust pushed them all back a few feet. After the gust receited, the Ninja crew looked up and saw Raven on her knees rubbing her head. Auria walked towards Raven and put her hand gently on her right shoulder, as the others also walked towards Raven, but they stood back to give her some room to breathe. Raven looked up at Auria and said,

"I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. I-I just couldn't control it."

Auria nodded and said, "It's alright. It takes time to master using an element like wind. It's more free and versatile than any other element, which makes harnessing it rather problematic since that goes against it's properties. But don't fret, I'll help you."

Auria nodded towards Raven, as she slowly nodded back.

"Wow Raven, you got a lot of power huh?" Lucy asked kindly.

Then Sensei Reine said, "Yes she does. That's why it's imperative that she trains to control it."

Sensei Reine walked in front of Raven and bent down to her level.

"Don't worry Raven. I'll be here for you okay honey?" Reine said softly, and Raven looked up at her and nodded and said,

"Okay mama. I'll try very hard."

Reine smiled and patted Raven's head and said, "Don't strain yourself alright?"

Raven smiled back and said, "Okay."

Then Sensei Wu said, "If you need any help in your training Raven, I'm sure Lloyd can assist you as well. After all, he also had to train to master his own abilities as the Green ninja."

Raven looked up towards Lloyd, who looked at his uncle surprised. Sensei Wu nodded towards Lloyd, as he understood and walked towards Raven. He kneeled down and said,

"I'll help you in any way I can Raven. It's gonna be a lot of work, let me tell ya, but I'll be here for you too."

"And me," Flare said.

"And me," Auria said.

"Me too," Christa said.

"And me too," Lucy said.

Cole looked towards the guys, as they nodded towards him, and Cole said, "Us too."

Sensei Wu looked towards the others, as they nodded, and Sensei Wu said, "And we will as well."

"I most definantly will," Terrin said.

Raven looked around at the others, as she smiled widely, and stood up, while Reine and Lloyd stood up.

"Okay... It's time for me to train then," Raven said, as the others stood back and nodded.

Then Raven looked back at the sack of sand, and she put her hands together and brought forth a wind current. She was able to move her right hand forward, while the wind gust pushed the sand sack away. The Ninja crew was ecstatic at seeing Raven move the sack with wind, as well as Raven.

"I Did It!" Raven said in delight, as she moved her hand back.

But then the wind gust came back and not only pushed the sack, but the Ninja crew along with it.

"AAHHH!" They all yelled out.

Some of them fell back like Kai, Jay, Christa, Lucy, Violet, Dareth, Misako, and Dr. Julien, while the others were able to block which helped them keep their footing and catch the ones flying back. Raven turned quickly towards the others and said,

"Oops... S-Sorry."

They all signed.

"Well, at leassst we're getting somewhere," Terrin said, as he walked towards Raven and put his hand on her shoulder, and they exchanged a smile.


	50. Chapter 50 Wind and Water

**50 chapters! I didn't think I would have this many**.** But the story's not over yet...**

Within Ouroborus, Marcell stood sitting on a throne that was made were the old statue of the Great Devourer used to be. She had a lot on her mind, and so she stood there with her left arm on the arm rest and her head leaning on her hand, with her left leg crossed over her right, and her eyes were closed with a calm yet stern expression. Stephen and Luna stood at each side of the throne about two feet away sitting on pillows with their legs crossed and eyes closed as well. It was near dawn, but the sky was still pretty lit up. The other Vampires and Serpentine were roaming the city and just hanging out since they had a free day. Marcell took the time to reflect on the events that had transpired so far.

She thought, _'All of this, for what? What is Darkness trying to do? We built those machines for him... what are they for? They don't even have a power source to them, and the other parts we're making aren't even for those machines. He's leaving us in the dark... fitting, but annoying. Pythor couldn't even track them for long, only to Ninjago city, but__then poof... they were__gone... Blast it!'_

Marcell gripped the arm rest tighter with her right hand, and then she relaxed and thought, _'Getting angry is not helping me right now. As annoying as this is, I need to stay calm and vigilant... I wonder where those ninja and kunoichi are? Violet hasn't reported back for a while... Iee, I hope they're alright.' _

Then Marcell lifted her face up to the sky and opened her eyes. She saw one little cloud in the sky and thought, _'Lucy... please be strong little__sister.'_

As the sun was about to set and the sky colors turned purple and orange, Marcell lowered her gaze downward and laid her left hand down, as she contemplated about her sister's well being.

During the travels of the Ninja crew, Raven would train to harness the wind, and Lucy would train to control water. Auria stood with Raven near the bow of the flying ship, while Reine stood with Lucy near the center.

"Feel the wind Raven," Auria said, as Raven stood on the tip of the bow with her arms spread outward and her eyes closed.

The wind blew through Raven's hair and around her clothes as she tried to pin point where the wind was moving. Auria was leaning on the railing at the side of the Bounty watching Raven, as her hair moved along with the wind. Lloyd stood not too far off, watching over Raven as well while sitting on a barrel. He was watching out just in case Darkness or someone tried to take Raven again. He was also there to support Raven in her attempts of mastering the wind.

"Do you feel the sense of freedom and trainquility in the wind? That is what you must hold inside of you. That freedom and peace isn't always on the outside, but no matter what storm comes your way, you must hold onto it on the inside... like the eye of the storm, when everything around you is spiraling out of control, you can still retain peace," Auria said softly, as Raven was able to breathe in and out calmly.

_'I need to be at peace on the inside,'_ Raven thought.

Lloyd was shifting in his seat, and looking around occasionally. Auria noticed Lloyd's tension and walked over to him.

"Lloyd," Auria said, and Lloyd looked towards her and replied,

"Yeah?"

Auria grabbed Lloyd's arm gently and lead him towards where Raven was.

"What's going on Auria?" Lloyd asked, and Auria looked towards him and replied,

"Although I am teaching Raven to have peace within to harness the wind, I think you can benefit from this too."

Auria then pushed Lloyd up on the point of the bow, although Raven was more ahead on the tip.

"Spread out your arms," Auria instructed soothingly, as Lloyd followed, although he was a little reluctant.

"Close your eyes," Auria said softly, as Lloyd was about to question, but then he saw how calm and tranquil Auria's expression was and he decided to follow her instructions.

He stood with his arms outward and his eyes closed, with his head slightly upward.

"Good. Now try to feel the wind. I know it's not your main element, but I'm sure you can feel it," Auria said, as Lloyd nodded.

He felt the breeze caress his face and the wind manuveur through his hair.

"Okay, now, let the wind carry away all your worries, concerns, and stress. Try to imagine whatever's on your mind become like the wind and brush passed you. That all of your stress will be gone, and you will be in peace," Auria said.

Lloyd stood there for awhile, letting his worries and tension slowly blow away with the wind. He felt something calm and soothing roaming freely in his heart, as the tension on his body eased up and he was able to breathe calmly and fully. Auria smiled to see that Lloyd had loosened up, and also that Raven was doing the same.

_'I didn't think it would work, but I really feel... free,'_ Lloyd thought.

Then Lloyd felt something softly wrap around his torso. He opened his eyes and saw that Raven had wrapped her arms around him. She backed away a little to look up at him with a soft smile, as Lloyd smiled back and hugged her. During this embrace, the wind began to spiral around them calmly, as Auria nodded.

On the upper deck, Terrin stood watching Lloyd and Raven as they parted from their hug. He looked on with a solemn appearance on his face, but his eyes showed much more hostility.

"Hello your Highness."

Terrin turned around to see that Garmadon was walking towards him and was the one who spoke.

"Hello Lord Garmadon, and you can call me Terrin, I prefer it," Terrin said, as he turned back looking ahead.

"Alright, Terrin, and I prefered to be called Garmadon. That other title does not suit me anymore," Garmadon said, as he followed Terrin's gaze to see that he was watching Raven and Lloyd, who were both talking with Auria.

When Garmadon looked back at Terrin, he saw the frustration in his eyes.

"Terrin, you seem troubled. What's on your mind?" Garmadon asked, although he had an idea of what was bothering the king.

Terrin signed and said, "My little girl is grown up now, and I see that she favors your son, as he favors her."

Garmadon responded, "Yes, I've noticed their relationship has grown stronger since they were reunited. They're really fond of one another."

Terrin grit his teeth with his mouth closed. Garmadon noticed this and he said,

"I can see your not very favorable to this."

"It's not that," Terrin said and continued, "I'm sure your son is noble and worthy enough to be with my daughter, but I'm very protective over my family. I want what's best for my wife and my child."

"I understand that," Garmadon said.

Terrin nodded and then a thought came to his mind as he continued, "I just want to be sure that my daughter is taken care of by a man who is willing to give their life for her... to protect her, to understand her, and to love her only, as she would him. I'm willing to do all this and more for my wife and I expect the same and more for my daughter."

"Yes, I understand what you mean Terrin. I feel the same for my family as well." Garmadon said, as he looked out towards the distance and added,

"But as much time as I've spent getting to know your daughter, I see how much of a remarkable young lady she is, and I'm glad that my son loves someone like her so... much."

When Garmadon mentioned that Lloyd loved Raven, Terrin slowly turned towards him, wide-eyed. Garmadon slowly backed away a little, as Terrin turned towards him fully and said, with an almost dark expression and smile,

"So he _does_ love her... tell me Garmadon, a little more about your son."

Garmadon could only gulp as he tried to talk to the King of the Viporeons.

"Think about the properties of water Lucy: it nourishes, it leads, and it can be very gentle or very powerful," Sensei Reine explained, as Lucy sat in front of her with her legs crossed, intrigued.

"You hold a very interesting element in your hands Lucy. It can heal, but it can hurt too. You must find your balance, especially with this element. Your emotions are closely linked to it, and probably more then any other element to their user besides fire, understand?" Reine said, as Lucy nodded with a smile.

"Okay then. Stand up and let's see watcha got," Sensei Reine said, as she clapped her hands together and stepped back.

Lucy grabbed her platinum water staff and jumped up on her two feet.

"Okay Sensei, I'm ready!" Lucy exclaimed happily, as Sensei Reine nodded and said,

"Very good, now show me what you can do."

Lucy nodded, and jumped up as she spun around and summoned water in a stream from her water staff around her, and then she moved up and put her feet on the staff as she surfed around the water spiral. As she surfed, the water stream grew larger and stood in place as she reached the floor. Then Lucy jumped and landed on her feet as she held her staff up and started to twirl the staff above her, as the water followed her movement. Then she twirled the staff wider, and then she started to spin in place, as the water surrounded her and moved along with the staff. She started to spin faster and faster, and Reine looked on, curiously. Then for a short moment, Lucy became a small tornado of water, and then she started to slow down and stopped spinning, as the water retreated back into the orb of the water staff. Lucy was breathing a little hard, as she stood straight up and brushed her hair back.

"Was that okay Sensei? I really had no idea what I was doing. I was just going along with it," Lucy said, and Sensei Reine nodded and walked towards her.

"Well Lucy, I have to say you've done very well, even though you just received the water staff yesterday, and it's probably because you just went along with it. You seem to be pretty intune with your element and weapon, and I think I saw a little spinjitzu," Sensei Reine said, as Lucy's eyes widened.

"I may have to call upon the assistance of Sensei Wu in your training. I hope he won't mind," Sensei Reine said.

"I don't mind at all."

Lucy and Reine turned to see Sensei Wu walking towards them from within the Bounty.

"I shall assist in training Lucy in the ways of spinjitzu," Sensei Wu said.

"And I shall train Lucy in the ways of the Platinum Water staff," Sensei Reine said, and then both sensei shook hands.

They both looked towards Lucy, as she had her mouth open in shock and her hands at the sides of her face.

"Oh. My. Gosh... I'm being trained by TWO masters. THIS IS AMAZING!" Lucy yelled out in delight, as she ran over to her two sensei and hugged them.

Sensei Wu and Sensei Reine looked over towards one another and just shrugged. Then Lucy released them and did a backflip, as she held her staff horizontally in front of her and said,

"I'm ready to be trained Masters."

Sensei Reine and Sensei Wu nodded.

"Let's begin," Sensei Wu said.

During the voyage to Ouroborus, the Ninja Crew trained and prepared themselves in case Darkness, Silva, or Kerri decided to show their faces. The ninja learned how to adjust to their new weapons, and the kunoichi learned how to be in sync with their elements. Everyone else prepared themselves with knowledge and weapons, like Nya with her Ultra Samurai suit.

After training, the ninja and kunoichi were able to take a break by playing videos games, talking, or just hanging out.

On one particular day which was a whole day off, the ninja were able to tell about their adventures to Lucy, Reine, and Terrin. They told about how they first met, about the Serpentine being freed from their tombs, the Great Devourer attacking, and the Overlord trying to corrupt the world. ( Remember: This story takes place right after the Overlord was defeated in season two.) The kunoichi and Violet were also listening in on the heroic adventures of the original Ninja Crew.

After their tale of Awesomeness was done, the kunoichi, Terrin, Reine, Lucy, and Violet started to clap.

"That was AMAZING! You guys really survived all of that?! Awesome," Lucy said happily.

"Yeah, it was awesome," Cole said.

"If I could do it again, I would," Kai said as he nodded.

"If only you guys could have been there with us," Jay said.

"Well I'm sure it would of been exciting, besides the part where you turned all evil from the Overlord," Flare said casually, as Jay's eyes widened and he rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh yeah, heh heh," Jay said sheepishly.

"So girls," Cole said and continued, "Do you have any stories to bring to the table?"

Auria, Christa, Raven, and Flare looked towards one another, then they looked towards Sensei Reine, who smiled and nodded, and then the girls turned back to the guys.

Then Christa said, "Well it all started with Sensei Reine and Auria..."

**The next chapter has a little backstory of the kunoichi. A backstory of greatness...**


	51. Chapter 51 Origins

Let me tell you the story of the kunoichi. Don't worry, it won't take long... ;) ...

The story starts with Auria, a princess of Aeroplane, who lived with her parents the king and queen and her little sister, princess Christa. She loves her family and is protective over Christa. She is also very confident and clever.

One day, the Queen of Fountain Falls came to visit the King and Queen of Aeroplane. Auria was introduced to Queen Reine, and they became friends. When Queen Reine was ready to leave, Auria said,

"Goodbye Queen Reine."

Reine replied, "There's no need for formality, but you can call me Sensei Reine if you'd like."

Then Auria said, "Okay, Sensei Reine."

That was the first time Auria refered to Reine as Sensei.

After Reine's departure, Auria's parents, Shou and Kani, decided to take their daughters, Auria and young Christa, down to the land below. They went over to visit Flare and her parents at the Volcanic Lands., and Auria and Christa knew Flare for a few years already at this point.

After the visit, Auria and her family were returning home when the accident happened. Auria saved Christa, and she fell over the edge of the cliffside. She was gravely injured, near death. Christa was very saddened, and Flare was brought over to help Christa and keep her mind on other things. Sensei Reine also came over with the Viporeon leaders and they went to work, along with Queen Malentha. They made Auria into a cyborg (Cynoichi!).

At first, Auria felt awkward being half robot, but Sensei Reine helped her to adjust to her new form. Then Sensei Reine had to go back home to take care of baby Raven (Raven was born two months before Reine visited Aeroplane).

Auria stood home getting used to being a cyborg, and Christa was happy to have her sister, but sad because she felt it was her fault. Flare was happy to see that Auria was alright too, and then Flare and Malentha went home.

Auria didn't mind being a cyborg for awhile, but a year later Auria realized that she would outlive her loved ones. Her heart was broken and sad. She tried to distance herself from others, and Christa became more sad by seeing her sister in turmoil. Sensei Reine came back to visit and was told that Auria had run away from Aeroplane. Reine and Kani were able to find Auria and they spoke to her.

Although she knew what would happen in the future, Auria knew that she had to take the time with her family and friends now and make the most of it, and protect the future generations as well. Auria returned home, and that's when she was called to owned the Platinum Wind fans. Sensei Reine said she would help train Auria to use the fans and Auria's parents agreed to help.

Christa was happy that her sister returned, and afterward, she would watch Auria train and try to train herself too. Auria caught Christa trying to learn, and that's when Auria decided to help train Christa.

Christa learned pretty well, and she was strong too. Yet, she still had that lingering feeling of causing Auria pain, although Kani explained that it wasn't her fault. She would sometimes take time by herself to clear her mind when she would become emotional about certain things (like her sister, her job as a princess, her training, etc.).

Then one day, Christa and Flare got into an argument and they walked away from one another. Christa was upset, but then she realized that they're argument was stupid and that they're friendship is more important (and especially because she thought about Auria's accident and almost losing her, and thought about if something like that happened to Flare, since she was like her sister too). She was able to talk to Flare to reconcile, and that's when Christa learned how to be more understanding, to control her emotions better, and to be there for her family, and friends, and the kingdom to protect them.

Afterward, she was called to receive the Platinum Sound Gauntlets of Power.

Flare is tough, outspoken, thick-skinned, and she is also caring, honest, and kind-hearted. She is also like a jerk with a heart of gold. When Flare was growing up, people of her kingdom were unsure if she would end up good like her father or bad like her mother. When Flare would act a certain way or do something, depending on what was done (like being brutally honest, or being nice to someone), people would say things like,

"Oh... so your going to be like your mother?"

"Oh! So your going to be like your father?"

"Your kind of like Malentha."

"Your more like Arun."

Flare became angered by this because all she wanted to do was be herself. She wanted to be known as Princess Flare, not Princess Arun's kid or Princess Malentha's kid. She loves her parents, and they always encourage her to be herself, yet it was hard since it annoyed Flare that people thought of her being one way or another. This explains why Flare talks back kind of rudely at times.

However, after the argument with Christa and when they reconciled, Flare realized that her family and friends are more important then what others think, that it doesn't matter what others say, and that she should live to be herself.

Also, Flare thought it was cool that Auria and Christa had the platinum weapons, so she trained harder to see if she could earn a platinum weapon (she was already being trained by her parents, but she trained with Auria and Christa under Sensei Reine too).

Then Flare was called to earn the Platinum Scimitars of Yin and Yang (Now known as the Platinum Shadow Scimitar of Umbra). She went on a slashing frenzy, and Auria and Christa were able to stop her.

Sensei Reine is Auria, Christa, and Flare's sensei. She usually would give them letters to help them train so that she could stay at home with her family, and there were times she would visit the girls and give them training to do while they were apart. Also, when the girls were older, they would go to Fountain Falls to train.

At one point, the girls were slacking in teamwork during their missions that Sensei Reine sent them on (Like fighting thieves, herding animals, fixing buildings of their lands, and etc.) So when Raven was old enough (three years before meeting Lloyd), she became the fourth member of the team. The girls were skeptical, but Raven was able to help the girls work together (although she didn't realize how much of an impact she had since she was pretty young).

As they trained and worked together for a while, Raven had started to use the Platinum Staff of Raining Water. (It didn't choose her as the official master, but Raven could still use it.)

Six months after obtaining the staff, Raven was given the Gem of Ages by a mysterious woman.

After two years, Reine was sealed in the crystal prison.

Raven went to visit her friends to see how they were doing, and because being home made her sad. However, she was still sad when she went to visit them and she ran off, but then she got lost and that's when she met Lloyd. She was happy to hang out with him. She hadn't been so happy for awhile.

After returning home, she left again because Flare needed assistance with a mission. Raven's father was skeptical, but Auria and Christa agreed to watch over Raven so he let them.

At one point, Raven sneaked away from the girls to look for Lloyd, but he wasn't at the school.

After returning to her friends, Raven went home. Her father asked Flare, Christa, and Auria how was the mission, and they accidently mentioned that Raven went missing for awhile although they found her again.

After telling the girls to go home, Terrin went to talk with Raven. She told him she wanted to visit a friend of her's, but Terrin was angry that his daughter strayed from the path and that she promised him that she would be safe and stay with the girls. However, this argument became heated, as Raven said to Terrin that he is too overprotective, and she also said that he hasn't been the same since what happened to Reine and that he's been more solemn since what happened. Terrin told Raven that she can't say one thing and do something else, a promise shouldn't be broken, and also that he doesn't want to lose Raven, and that he is the father and that she should be respectful and listen.

After awhile, Terrin told Raven to go to her room and not to go anywhere without supervision. Raven ran to her room in tears, while Terrin felt a pain in his heart as he put his hand on his face and silently cried. Raven cried in her room, but then she decided that she had to leave because staying there would result in nothing, and that it wasn't going to help her mother. Also, she remembered when her mother said,

"You choose your own destiny, but be ready for what lies ahead of your choice."

Raven fled her home, and Terrin sent the Viporeons to retireve her since he sent all of them to go and he would guard the kingdom and Reine. (He's strong enough to protect the whole kingdom alone ;) )

As Raven travelled outside the lands she knew, she met many people, but when some saw her fangs and serpant tongue, they would run, grab their kids, or they would tell her to please go to not disturb others. Raven felt the pain of being part Black Mambian, although some people were nice even when they knew what she was (which were some kids who thought it was pretty cool and some elders who didn't really care either way).

As she travelled and made it to the Sea of Sand, Raven saw darkness befall Ninjago city, and then a light appeared and purged the darkness. Raven travelled across the Sea of Sand to Ninjago city and learned about the light while avoiding the Viporeons.

At that point, was how this story began...


	52. Chapter 52 Arrival

Everyone was amazed by the story the girls had told, although the words exchanged between Raven and Terrin weren't told, it was only said that they had an argument.

"Whooaa," the guys said simultaneously.

"Yup. Whoa," Flare said, while resting her cheek on her hand that was propped up on the table by her elbow.

"Your stories are amazing," Cole said, as he looked towards Christa and she smiled with a little blush.

"Man, you girls weren't just sitting pretty in your kingdoms. I'm impressed," Kai said, as Flare looked towards him and said,

"Yeah man. Just because we're princesses doesn't mean we're damsels in distress. It more so means that we gotta fight and protect what's ours."

Flare winked at Kai, who stiffened up a bit because he didn't know how to react.

"You've all overcomed your hardships and strife by diligence and team work. I admire such strength and unity among your group," Zane said while looking at Auria, who smiled kindly and said,

"Yes, we've learned much being together, and being with you guys as well."

Zane felt his cheeks heat up suddenly, and he wondered if his circuits needed some tending to.

"Wow, you girls are no joke, and Raven... all this time I've been trying to protect you, and you really didn't need me to. I'm sorry for underestimating you, and if I made you feel like a damsel in distress," Lloyd said to Raven, and she smiled and said,

"Oh Lloyd, you've never made me feel like that. I know you only wanted to protect me, and I'm grateful for that."

Lloyd smiled as he extended his hand across the table to Raven, who sat across from him, as she reached out and held his hand.

"Man, no wonder you girls were able to beat us before. You've been training longer than we have," Jay said sort of happily, as the kunoichi nodded towards him.

"I knew you girls have known each other for a long time, but I didn't realize how long it was," Nya said, as Flare shrugged and replied,

"Eh, we were pretty subtle about it when we first told you, so your presumption is understandable."

The room became silent as everyone's eyes were on Flare. After a moment, Flare turned to Auria and Zane with furrowed brows and said,

"Darn it Auria! Zane! I've been around you two for TOO long."

Everyone started laughing, as Auria shrugged with a smile and Zane smiled, as Flare just shook her head.

"Lucy," Reine called out from her room that she shared with Misako, Violet, and Nya.

Lucy was just walking by when she heard Reine calling her.

"Yes Sensei?" Lucy replied, as she stuck her head just passed the door into the room.

"Come in, I have something to give you," Reine said with her back towards the door, standing in front of her dresser.

Lucy walked into the room and stood before her sensei. Then Reine turned around with a bundle of clothes folded on her hands.

"What's this?" Lucy asked with her head tilted, as Reine smiled and replied,

"Since your training to be one of the ninja, then you should be dressed for the job eh."

Lucy gasped as she reached out and took the clothes from Sensei Reine, while examining them thoroughly.

"This is... so cool... thank you Sensei Reine," Lucy said gratefully, as she hugged her sensei with one arm as Reine did the same.

"Go ahead, try it on in your room," Sensei Reine said, and Lucy nodded with a big smile and hurried along to her room that she shared with the other kunoichi.

Reine just shook her head with a smile and thought, _'She's very enthusiatic. That's good, very convenient, especially during times like__this...'_

Reine walked closer to her bed and sat down as she signed and thought, _'I pray all goes well for them. I feel things are not going to get easier... and I can't shake this feeling... they __**must**__be ready to face whatever comes next.'_

In the other room, Lucy immediately locked the door since no one else was present. She changed her clothes quickly and carefully into her new suit. When she was done, Lucy walked in front of the long mirror that was in the room on the wall, which Christa had placed there when she first arrived on the Bounty. Lucy took a long look at herself in the mirror.

Her new clothes was a gi similar to the ninja and kunoichi 's old gi.(You know, before they received pure platinum weapon power, like how Christa and Raven's gi is now.) The gi had golden shoulder armor with spikes that scooped upward. The main color on the gi was cyan, and she had two sashes on her waist: one of gold, and one of blue. Lucy loved her new suit, but then she realized something.

Lucy walked over to Sensei Reine's room and knocked gently.

"Yes?" Reine asked.

"It's me sensei," Lucy replied, and Reine told her to come in.

"Wow, it fits you well Lucy," Reine said, as Lucy nodded with a smile.

"Oh I love it sensei! But my only concern is, why is it that my suit, Raven's, and Christa's look similar, and the other ninja and kunoichi look different? I mean, not that I don't appreciate this, it's wonderful, but I'm just curious," Lucy asked innocently.

Reine nodded and replied, "Yes well, they were able to receive the pure power of their elements from their Platinum weapons, so it ended up not only enhancing their abilities, but also upgrading their suits. Of course you and Christa will soon be able to receive such power, but not unless your hearts are clear from any sort of hinderance, and your minds are one with your hearts."

Lucy nodded and asked, "Oohh, I get it. What about Raven?"

Reine looked down in thought, and then she replied, "Raven is a different story, although this same principle of heart and mind holds true for her too. The thing is, she won't be able to tap fully into her powers unless you and Christa are able to tap into your own. As Raven is connected to four elements, so are you connected to Raven in that sense. She can't unlock the Silver dragon without _all four_ of her elements being unlocked. That's why it's crucial that you learn to master using water, and that you and Christa unlock your Full Potentials."

"Full Potentials?" Lucy asked, as Reine nodded and replied,

"I shall explain to the others and you about Full Potential once we bring you to Marcell. Okay?"

Lucy smiled brightly when she heard her sister's name and said, "Oh I can't WAIT to see her again! And thank you sooo much Sensei Reine!"

Lucy bowed respectfully and Sensei Reine nodded. Then Lucy dashed out of the room swiftly, yet gracefully. Sensei Reine again just shook her head with a smile. Then she thought,

_'Let's see what happens next...'_

As time passed, which was a few hours (two hours), the Ninja Crew was crossing the Sea of Sand to the Lost City of Ouroboros.

After a while, the Lost City of Ouroboros was in full view, and everyone was on deck besides Terrin and Reine, who steered the Bounty.

"There it is," Kai said, as he extended his hand, pointed towards the city.

"So _that's_ the City of Ouroboros?" Christa asked, and Kai nodded and said,

"Yeah, that's the place alright."

"It looks bigger," Jay said, observing the place where the Great Devourer was once held.

"It does doesn't it?" Cole said.

"Yes. Marcell wanted to make the city a little larger considering that the Vampires and Serpentine would be living there," Violet replied, while leaning on the railing with her arms crossed.

"Whoaa, so cool," Dareth said, leaning forward on the railing, as he looked over at the city for the first time.

"You say that now, until you become prisoners of the Serpentine," Zane said.

"Yeah, or when the Great Devourer BURST from the ground and gobbles up your Sensei!" Jay said energetically, as he leaned over to Sensei Wu and added, "No offense sensei."

Sensei Wu just nodded and said, "None taken," but when Jay looked away Sensei Wu wacked him over the head with his staff.

"Ow!" Jay said while rubbing his head.

Nya saw this and signed, as she walked towards Jay and gave him a kiss.

"Better?" she asked, as Jay turned towards her, nodded, and said,

"Much better."

Watching from the corner of her eye, Flare shrugged off their affection for one another.

"So guys," Flare said to everyone, "How are we gonna do this? There's going to be Serpentine and Vampires to deal with-"

"Leave that to us," Kai said sort of smugly.

"We got this," Jay said, as he stood next to Kai.

"We've fought the Serpentine before," Zane said, as he stood next to Jay.

"And with our new weapons, we're unstoppable," Cole said and stood next to Zane.

All four ninja brought forth their Platinum Weapons, and they ran forward and jumped off the Bounty.

"Wait-" was all Sensei Wu could say, but the ninja already jumped off, and they transformed their weapons into their revamped vehicles.

Sensei Wu just shook his head as Garmadon stood next to him near the railing.

"Fine students indeed. Always ready to fight huh?" Garmadon said with a smirk, and Sensei Wu replied,

"I was going to tell them that they didn't have to fight because we already have Lucy."

Both elders turned around to look at Lucy, who waved innocently.

"Well it's alright," Misako said, as she turned to the girls and said, "Flare, Auria, Christa, Nya. If you may _assist_ the boys."

All four girls looked towards one another and nodded, as they ran forward and jumped off the Bounty. Nya had her new Samurai X suit on with a jet pack, and the other girls summoned their vehicles. Flare's vehicle had upgraded from the previous one:

Flare's vehicle was originally like a motorcycle with four big wheels, two in the front and two in the back, two little wheels that didn't touch the floor at the sides of the center, and two wings like an airplane that pointed back. But now that Flare's weapon was in it's true form, the vehicle received an upgrade: The wings were now in the shape of bat wings that were all black and dark grey at the tips. The wheels in the front were black and extended out a little more forward, and the back wheels were a little larger and all orange. The little wheels around the center were black with orange spikes around them. The rest of the vehicle was an oval shape that flared out on the back in black spikes, and as it went from the front tip to the back it turned from orange to grey and then to black. The cockpit was an oval shape with the front half having glass to cover the driver, and there was an extra seat in the back. Shadows were continously smoking from the wheels of the vehicle too.

"OH YEAH BABY!" Flare yelled out in delight as she drove her new revamped vehicle across the desert sand like a hot knife through butter.

"This Is The Coolest Ride in the World!" Flare yelled out once more, as she drove ahead of the girls.

"Well she's having fun isn't she?!" Christa said, as Auria and Nya nodded.

They were hovering just above the ground around the two sides of Christa's vehicle.

Back on the Bounty, Lucy was looking out towards the City of Ouroboros thinking, _'Hmmm, Marcell__is in that city... wait... my sister is there. Marcell! MARCELL!'_

Lucy ran forward as she stood on the railing of the Bounty.

"Lucy, what are you doing?" Raven asked.

"My Sister is THERE!" Lucy yelled out happily.

"Yeah we know Lucy, hold on, we're about to land," Lloyd said.

When the Bounty descended down in front of the entrance to Ouroboros, it was clearly seen, that the ninja were in the middle of a battle some yards away.

"Well, that escalated quickly," Garmadon said.

"I hope the girls can stop them in time," Misako said.

"I'M COMIN' SISTER!" Lucy yelled out as she jumped down from the Bounty on the desert sand below.

"Lucy!" Those who were on the Bounty yelled out.

"I must find my sister! It's been too long!" Lucy yelled back, as she ran forward into Ouroboros.

"Lloyd, Raven, accompany Lucy so that she can safely be reunited with Marcell, poste haste," Sensei Wu ordered.

Lloyd and Raven nodded towards Sensei Wu, and they jumped over the side of the Bounty. After landing on the sand, they started running ahead to catch up with Lucy.

"Wait for me, I'm coming!" Dareth said, as he looked over the railing.

"Don't worry Dare, I've got you," Violet said, and she grabbed Dareth over her shoulder and jumped over the railing.

"Wait Violet! We could just walk down the- AAHHH!" Dareth yelled out, as Violet landed on the sand perfectly.

"Oh, oh goodness gracious Violet," Dareth said, catching his breath.

"Let's go," Violet said, as she ran ahead, still holding Dareth over her shoulder.

Garmadon, Misako, Dr. Julien, and Sensei Wu, who were still on the Bounty, looked over towards one another and signed.

**They finally made it to Ouroborus. But are they safe?**


	53. Chapter 53 Reunited

Kai, Cole, Zane, and Jay had just dismissed their vehicles, when the Serpentine came.

"It's them again, the NINJA!" One of the serpents called out.

"Yeah, it's us again," Kai said, as he readied his flaming sword.

"And we mean busniess," Jay said, as he readied his nunchucks.

Cole and Zane also prepared themselves to fight. The Serpentine looked towards one another, and then they pulled out their weapons which consisted of black daggers, spears, chains, ball and chains, slingshots, and swords. After only a few seconds of a stare down, the battle began. The ninja were fighting with the Serpentine all around them, but it wasn't hard for them to keep the Serpentine back.

"WooHoo! Just like old times huh?" Cole said, as he swipped away a group of Serpentine with one Earth strike.

"Yes, but this is even better," Zane said, as he froze the ground and lifted up his hand, which made ice pillars shoot upward and send Serpentine flying up.

The sound of engines and boosters were heard as it disappeared.

Suddenly, each of the girls landed in front of each of the guys. Flare landed in front of Kai, Christa landed in front of Cole, Auria landed in front of Zane, and Nya landed in front of Jay. The girls did NOT look amused. The guys each took a step back from the girls, as did the Serpentine.

"What the? Flare what are you doing?" Kai asked.

"Don't 'what are you doing' to me Kai! What on Earth are YOU doing? Fighting the Serpentine FOR NO REASON," Flare said, with her hands on her hips.

"What?" Cole asked, and Christa replied,

"You guys didn't even have to fight the Serpentine."

Then Auria added, "Your actions were unnecessary, the Serpentine work under Marcell."

"We know that," Jay said.

"If you guys DID know that, then you would have also known that all we had to do was tell them that we have Lucy with us. We wouldn't have needed to fight at all," Nya said.

The guys then looked towards one another, dumb founded. The Serpentine looked towards one another in surprise.

"They have her sissster?" One of the snakes said to another.

"The princessss, they ssssaved her?" Another snake said.

"What'ssss going on here?!" Everyone turned to see Skales slithering towards the crowd of Serpentine, Ninja, and samurai.

When Skales spotted the ninja, he said, "Oh great. It'ssss you guyssss again."

Then Kai said, with a little annoyance, "Nice to see you too."

Skales just glared at Kai. Then the other Serpentine leaders came.

"What are the ninja doing here?" Skalidor asked.

"And the Ssssamurai girl?" Acidicus asked.

"And who are thossse girlssss?" Fangpyre asked.

Auria stepped forward and said, "We are kunoichi who have teamed up with the ninja. My name is Auria, the one in yellow is my sister Christa, and the one in orange is Flare. We are princesses of our respective lands. We wish to see Marcell, we have brought her sister Lucy."

The Serpentine generals looked towards one another, and then back towards the kunoichi.

"You are princessessss," Fangpyre said.

"And kunoichi," Acidicus said.

"It'ssss nice to meet you princessesss," Skalidor said, as the girls nodded.

"Sssso you have found princessss Lucy. Where isss she?" Skales asked.

"She's back on the Bounty," Cole replied.

Then the sound of running footsteps was heard, as they turned to see Lucy running at full speed past them, with Raven and Lloyd trying to catch up to her.

"SISTER!" Lucy yelled out as she continued to run on.

The Ninja and Serpentine watched in surprise, as the Princess of the Vampires continued to run with the Golden Green Ninja and Purple Kunoichi following.

As Lucy continued to run with Lloyd and Raven next to her, she skidded to a hault, which made Lloyd and Raven do the same.

"What is it?" Lloyd asked, but then he felt a presence somewhere around them.

"Someone is here, but I can't see them," Lucy said a little nervous.

Raven looked around, as Lloyd realized who the presence belonged to.

"Lucy, Raven, get behind me, it's _him_," Lloyd said, as Lucy and Raven did as instructed by the Golden Green ninja.

A chuckle was heard, as eyes had appeared not too far in front of them, and then the body appeared.

"-Gasp- He came from thin air," Lucy said amazed.

"No. He can turn invisible," Lloyd said in a low tone.

"Hm, what's the matter Lloyd? Have you forgotten my name?" Pythor said with a grin.

"That's Pythor?" Raven whispered to Lloyd, and he nodded.

"Yeah. He's the one I told you about," Lloyd said.

Pythor looked at Lucy and Raven.

"Well, well, what do we have here? Such exquisite young ladies you have there Lloyd," Pythor said, paying extra attention to Raven.

"This is Raven and Lucy. We're here to see Marcell," Lloyd said a little louder, as Pythor's eyes widened and he said,

"Lucy? The Princess of the Vampires?"

Lloyd, Raven, and Lucy nodded.

"Well, why didn't you say so? Of course you can see Marcell. She's in the center ring of the city," Pythor said, as he pointed towards where the center ring was.

Lucy smiled and said, "Yaay! I get to see Marcell!"

Lucy started running again towards where Pythor pointed to.

"Lucy! Wait for us!" Raven called out, as she ran after Lucy.

"Raven be careful!" Lloyd called out.

"So _that's _Raven, the Princess of the Viporeons. I heard about her from Marcell. I'm curious," Pythor said, as he slithered around behind Lloyd, although he kept his distance.

Lloyd clenched his fist tightly, but then he signed and his hand relaxed. Lloyd turned towards Pythor with a nonchalant expression, that made the large serpentine back away a little.

"I'll tell you this Pythor. You can keep your curiosity to yourself, and you can stay away from Raven, because if you don't I won't hestitate to show you the _true_ power of a Spinjitzu Master. That I can promise you," Lloyd said, in an almost dark tone, as he ran ahead to catch up with the girls.

Pythor watched Lloyd run ahead, as he gulped and thought, _'He certainly has grown up since last time. I better keep my distance, if I still wish to be the last Anacondrai ALIVE.'_

Pythor shook his head from a shiver he felt down his spine thinking about that, and then he slithered off, following far behind Lloyd, Raven, and Lucy.

"UUUHHH! How long Marcell?!" Stephen, the black haired vampire and one of the thieves from Ninjago City, said in such irritation.

Marcell sat on the throne with one of her legs crossed over the other, and her hands neatly placed on her lap. Her eyes were closed as she listened to her vampire people's complaints.

"We shouldn't have to do all this work Marcell, especially for someone like Darkness," Andrex, the brown haired mohawk vampire and one of the thieves from Ninjago City, said with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Yeah. We can't keep working for him like this," Lori, the light brown haired vampire who bit Kai, said.

"Marcell, something has to be done. That man is up to no good, and we can't let ourselves get involved like this," Luna, the white haired vampire who attended the Evil Meeting, said.

"There has to be SOMETHING we can do. We can't just sit here and do as he says," Bronze, the blonde haired pony tailed vampire who also attended the Evil Meeting, said.

The others vampires were murmering amongst themselves. Marcell said nothing, but then her eyes shot open and she stood up from her throne with clenched fist, which made the vampires take a step back from her, nervously. Then Marcell spoke in a fierce tone,

"YOU LISTEN TO ME AND YOU **ALL** LISTEN WELL! THE REASON WE'RE HERE IS BECAUSE LUCY HAS BEEN TAKEN HOSTAGE! AS MUCH AS I WOULDN'T WANT TO WORK FOR DARKNESS, I WILL DO WHAT I CAN TO SAVE MY SISTER AS I WOULD HAVE DONE SO TO SAVE ANY OF YOU! SO IF ANY OF **YOU** THINK YOU CAN FIGHT DARKNESS ON YOUR OWN AND WIN THEN BE. **MY. GUEST!** Otherwise, SHUT YOUR MOUTHS!"

When Marcell finished, the whole audience was silent, as she signed and sat down.

"That's what I thought," Marcell said in a low and sad tone.

The vampires looked towards one another, and then they all bowed down to Marcell, solemnly.

Marcell looked up at her people, and then she froze when she noticed someone running towards them. She squinted, and then her eyes widened. The other vampires looked up at their queen in confusion. Marcell slowly stood up from her throne, as she walked ahead. The vampires stood up and moved out of the way, as they watched their leader walk just past them. The Vampire Queen's eyes moistened, as she saw her sister running towards her with a big smile on her face and her arms wide open.

"MARCELL!" Lucy cried out in joy, as Marcell started walking towards Lucy, and then she started running with a smile on her face as she cried out,

"LUCY!"

Marcell and Lucy ran into each other arms and embraced as tears poured from their eyes. Lloyd and Raven were able to catch up, but they kept their distance so that the two sisters could have their moment. The other vampires gathered close-by, and they also kept their distance to give the sisters their space.

"Oh Marcell! I missed you so much, I felt so lonely in that tower without you," Lucy said, as her body shook from crying.

"It's okay Lucy. We're together now. There's no need to feel lonely anymore. We're together again," Marcell said, as she held Lucy firmly and petted her head, while crying with a smile on her face.

"-Sniffle- I'm so glad to be back with you Marcell," Lucy said, as she stood back to look at her big sister.

Marcell nodded and said, "And I'm glad your back with me Lucy."

Both sisters smiled towards one another, and gave each other one more hug. Then Marcell moved to the side and said,

"Welcome back Lucy."

Lucy wiped her tears, and then she ran over to the other vampires and said,

"My people! I AM BACK!"

The vampires shouted in delight as they ran over towards Lucy. Some of them were crying, most of them were applauding, some of them patted Lucy on the shoulder telling her 'Welcome back,' and some of them were cheering. Lucy smiled brightly, as she greeted her people by hugging some of them and giving many high fives.

Marcell watched as her sister was welcomed back, and then she turned towards Lloyd and Raven. She walked over to them with a serious look, as they looked up a her, a hint of nervousness in their eyes.

"You brought my sister back to me," Marcell said in a stoic tone, and Lloyd and Raven nodded.

Then Marcell immediately hugged both Lloyd and Raven, who were very surprised.

"Thank you, for bringing her home," Marcell said quick, as she let a few more tears escape her eyes.

Lloyd and Raven looked towards one another, and then they smiled as they hugged Marcell back. After separating from the hug, Marcell quickly wiped her tears, straightened up, and said,

"You have brought Lucy back to me. I am eternally grateful, and since Lucy is back with us, now we can take Darkness down."

Raven's and Lloyd's eyes widened.

"Your really going to help us?" Raven asked, and Marcell nodded.

"Are you sure? I mean, Darkness is no joke," Lloyd said and Marcell replied,

"And so are we."

The other vampires gathered behind Marcell, and Lucy stood next to her sister. Lloyd and Raven looked towards one another and nodded, and then they looked towards the vampire army and nodded. Marcell looked passed them and a smirk was planted on her face as she walked passed the two ninja.

"Well well, here you are finally. How's everyone holding up?" Marcell asked Pythor, as he approached her.

Lloyd became serious, as he looked towards the large Serpentine, and Raven noticed Lloyd's sudden change in mood towards Pythor.

"Oh, they're all doing quite alright your highness, besides the ninja getting into a brawl with the other Serpentine," Pythor said, and Marcell just chuckled and replied,

"I'm not surprised by that, considering the history between the ninja and your kind. Are they still fighting?"

"Apparently not. There were some female ninja and the Samurai who stopped them," Pythor replied.

"Female ninja? I know of the samurai," Marcell turned to Lloyd and Raven seeking an answer.

"Oh yes, they're my friends from Aeroplane and Volcanic Lands: Auria, Christa, and you already met Flare," Raven replied, and Marcell said,

"Ah yes, I remember Flare. So the princesses of the three kingdoms have come together. Isn't that something? Well that's good for us."

Multiple footsteps were heard as Marcell, Raven, Lloyd, Pythor, and the vampires looked to see that the ninja, kunoichi, Samurai, and the Serpentine were walking towards them.

"Well look who's here, my favorite person who blew a hole in my kingdom," Flare said with a smirk, as Marcell looked at her with a raised brow and a frown.

"Yes, it's nice to see you again Flare," Marcell said.

"You must be Marcell," Auria said, as she extended her hand politely towards Marcell.

The Vampire Queen took Auria's hand respectfully, and they shook hands as Auria said, "My name is Auria, princess of Aeroplane."

Marcell smiled and said, "Ah, so _you're_ Princess Auria, and yes I _am_ Marcell, Queen of the Vampire kingdom."

Marcell revealed her fangs with a smile, as Kai, Cole, and Jay gulped.

After they released hands, Auria gestered to Christa.

"This is my younger sister Christa, also Princess of Aeroplane."

Christa smiled and said, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Queen Marcell. Besides Violet, I'd never met a vampire before."

Marcell's eyes widened, as she remembered the Vampire General.

"I was wondering what happened to my top general. Where is she?" Marcell asked.

"Right here!" Everyone turned to see Violet walking towards them, with Dareth following besides her.

Marcell raised an eyebrow while looking at the Brown ninja.

"Your highness, the mission has been completed," Violet said, and Marcell nodded and said,

"Yes, the mission was successful. Thank you Violet."

Violet bowed her head to Marcell.

"I would like to thank all of you for your help in bringing Lucy home," Marcell said.

The ninja, kunoichi, and Samurai bowed their heads to Marcell.

"It was nothing really. Well, I'm sure for them it was," Dareth said, gesturing towards the Ninja.

Marcell turned towards Dareth and said, "Yes, and you are?"

"Well, I am Dareth, the Brown ninja," Dareth said, with his hand on his heart and his head lifted up.

Marcell raised an eyebrow and she said, "The Brown ninja?"

Then Jay said, "That's what I said."

The other vampires giggled, as well as Marcell, and Dareth looked at them confused and asked,

"What's so funny?"

Marcell walked over towards Dareth, and put her hand on his shoulder and said, "It's just that they've never heard of a Brown ninja."

Dareth looked at Marcell in dramatic shock, and then he said, "What? Never heard of the Brown ninja? The one who helped to save Ninjago with my fellow ninja?"

The vampires haulted their giggles, and they looked at Dareth in interest.

"Ooohhh," the vampires said.

As Dareth went over to the vampires to tell them about what happened in Ninjago city, Marcell stood next to Violet and asked,

"Sooo, Dareth. The Brown ninja."

Violet looked towards Marcell, unemotional, as Marcell looked towards her with a smirk and said, "You really know how to pick'em huh Violet?"

Violet gasped and looked away with a light blush, as Marcell just laughed and turned around to the other Ninja.

"So ninja, where's the rest of your team?" Marcell asked.

"They're back at the Bounty, just outside the city," Cole replied.

"They should be here soon," Zane added.

"Well then alright," Marcell said, as she turned to the Serpentine and said, "My dear snakes, prepare some room for the Ninja and their allies."

Then Marcell turned to the Vampires and said, "My dear vampires, go on the look-out. If you see any signs of Silva, Darkness, or any of their people, inform me immediately."

The Serpentine and Vampires simultaneously said, "Yes Your Highness!"

As the two armies rushed off, Marcell led the Ninja closer to center of the city, with Pythor and Violet following behind her, and Lucy walking next to her.

"So Pythor _is_ here," Kai whispered to the other Ninja and Nya.

"Yeah, he really did return," Nya whispered to him.

"What should we do?" Jay whispered.

"For now, nothing. Marcell seems to have control over the Serpentine, and Pythor too," Cole whispered.

"That is the serpent you all spoke of correct?" Auria whispered, as the ninja and samurai nodded.

"He's big, like Anaca," Christa whispered.

"At least the other Viporeons aren't here, that would have been a brawl," Flare whispered.

"What do you mean a brawl?" Kai whispered.

"The Viporeons aren't exactly fond of the Serpentine," Flare whispered.

"It's true. That's why they left the Serpentine tribes a long time ago," Raven whispered.

"But what about your dad?" Lloyd whispered.

"My father doesn't care much about it, but I don't think he would stop the Viporeons if they wanted to fight," Raven whispered back.

"Then it's a good thing they aren't here," Dareth whispered, and the others nodded.

Lucy was watching the others from the corner of her eye. She was able to read their lips and she turned to Marcell and asked,

"Marcell, if the Viporeons see the Serpentine, wouldn't that be a problem?"

Marcell turned to Lucy and replied, "Oh don't fret about that sister. If anything happens, I have the respect and authority over the Serpentine, there won't be trouble. I just hope that the Viporeons are willing to listen, but with Raven I'm sure she wouldn't want them to get into a fight either."

With that said, Lucy nodded and continued walking onward with Marcell.

**The siblings have been reunited, and the Ninja Crew have grown by two armies. But is it enough...**


	54. Chapter 54 Blueprints

As the ninja, kunoichi, and samurai informed Marcell of their journey so far, Sensei Wi and the parents arrived to where they were, being escorted by Bronze and Andrex the vampires.

"Ah, how nice to see some old faces, and new faces too," Marcell said, as she walked over and bowed respectfully to the older people.

"It's nice to see you again, Marcell," Misako said as she bowed back, as well as the others with her.

"In better ciircumstances," Garmadon added, which made Marcell nod and say,

"Definantly."

"So _you_ are Marcell the Vampire Queen. Your sister has spoken fondly of you," Reine said, and Marcell looked towards her with wide eyes.

"Your highness. You truly _are_ free from the crystal prison," Marcell said, and Reine nodded.

"It's all thanks to my husband and Dr. Julien," Reine said with a smile, and Marcell nodded.

"That's great news to hear, your majesty," Marcell said.

"You can call me Reine, or Sensei Reine," Reine said, and Marcell nodded and said,

"Alright then, Sensei Reine."

Marcell looked towards King Terrin, who stood next to his wife.

"Well, I feel honored to have such royalty before me. The King and Queen of the Viporeons," Marcell said, and Terrin nodded.

"Yes, we're in a pretty difficult situation with Silva, then Darkness, and now Kerri," Terrin said, and Marcell tilted her head.

"Who's Kerri?" Marcell asked.

"We were about to get to that," Flare said.

"Do tell," Marcell said.

After informing Marcell about Kerri and her dark deeds, Marcell nodded while in deep thought.

"Well, isn't this a predicament," Marcell said, still thinking carefully.

"What is it sister?" Lucy asked in concern, and then Marcell snapped out of her thoughts and explained,

"Well, since we've been apart, we have been here in this city creating mechanisms of all sorts and sending them to Darkness. He gave us explanations and diagrams of what he wanted us to make, and with the Serpentine, it made it much easier to craft those things. My concern is that I'm not sure where Darkness goes when we give him his stuff, or what he plans to do with it. He's cleverly vague, which is very irritating after awhile."

"What kind of contraptions did he ask you to make?" Sensei Wu asked, and Marcell replied,

"I have the blueprints if you want to see."

Sensei Wu nodded, as Marcell looked towards Pythor and said,

"Retrieve the blueprints."

"Yes, your highness," Pythor said. However, as he passed by, Pythor looked towards Terrin, who gave him a quick glance back.

_'He's not a Serpentine. Why is he the King of the Viporeons?'_ Pythor thought.

After Pythor returned with the blueprints, Marcell showed them to the Ninja crew. The blueprints showed a lot of different pieces and parts, but there was another blueprint that showed a full machine. The full-machine blueprint was in the shape of a tall 'C' with a black circular metal base. The 'C' part was half black on the bottom and half silver on the top. On the top on the tip, was a metal piece that was in the shape of a needle that aimed towards the base. There were also ten, thick, black needles that stood around the base, aiming towards the ground.

"What is that thing?" Nya asked, taking a closer look.

"I'm not sure. It doesn't look like anything useful," Jay said.

"Well, if Darkness wants it to be made, then it can't be for no reason," Flare said.

"Good point," Jay said.

"Did you already construct these devices?" Auria asked Marcell.

"Yes. We made each of those large machines parts, and we made like five of these 'C' shaped ones," Marcell replied.

"Are they still here?" Cole asked.

"No. We sent them out to Darkness already," Marcell replied.

"Did you try to follow Darkness, to see where he was putting these things?" Christa asked.

"I sent Pythor to follow him since he could turn invisible, but a sand storm came and he lost track of them," Marcell said while looking towards Pythor a little disappointed, as Pythor looked away.

"So we have no idea what Darkness is doing with this stuff or where he is? Well isn't that a great disadvantage," Kai said.

"Well then, Mister Obvious, how about _you_ travel across the desert and track Darkness on your own while keeping a low profile, OH! Wait a minute, YOU CAN'T," Marcell said as she walked up to Kai, annoyed, and continued,

"Your clothes are so bright and red that a blind person would STILL have a clear shot of you!"

Kai backed away slowly when he noticed Marcell's fangs were showing since she was annoyed. The others watched nervously, besides Terrin, Reine, Sensei Wu, Garmadon, Violet, and Flare. Flare was giggling while holding her hand on her mouth.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you or anything. I was just saying we're at a disadvantage," Kai said quick to try and ease the situation he was in.

Marcell signed.

"Yeah. Well anyway, we'll have three days before we can leave," Marcell said as she left Kai alone, which made him sign in relief.

"Three days?" Misako asked.

"Yes. We need time to prepare for our journey out of this desert. Darkness came here yesterday, and he'll probably be back in a week or more. He takes his time, that arrogant son of a- well anyway, three days and then we go IMMEDIATELY! Understood?" Marcell said, and the Ninja Crew nodded in agreement.

"I'll have more time to train," Raven said, as Auria, Christa, and Flare nodded towards her.

"You've done very well in harnessing the power of wind. I think your ready for a greater challenge," Auria said, and looked towards Flare, who nudged her fist into her hand and said,

"It's time I showed you what the power over shadows can _really_ do."

Raven became a bit nervous, but then she breathed in and out, and replied,

"Okay, I'm ready to learn."

Raven went in a fighting stance with a smile, as Flare sniffled a bit, while she wiped away a fake tear and said,

"I'm already proud of your fighting spirit and we haven't even started yet."

"Hey! Not here, this is my office. We have an open arena my people made. You can train there," Marcell said.

"Your office is a whole arena?" Jay asked.

"... Yes," Marcell answered.

"Shall I guide them there?" Violet asked Marcell and she replied,

"Go ahead."

Violet gestured for the ninja and kunoichi to follow, as they nodded and walked behind her. Dareth, of course, walked next to Violet and smiled at her as she smiled back.

The older adults stood with Marcell for a while.

"Marcell, what else information do you have?" Sensei Wu asked.

"Well, Darkness doesn't come around so often so there's not much to tell besides what I already told you," Marcell said and continued, "But..."

"What is it?" Garmadon asked.

Marcell took a moment to think, and then she said,

"Besides the 'C' shaped mechanism, I believe that the other pieces of machinery are part of something much bigger. The only problem is, I can't think of what it might be."

"That's why we have to stop Darkness as soon as possible," Misako said.

"But we have no idea where he is, or when he will strike next," said.

"Hold on. Pythor followed Darkness towards _that_ direction," Marcell said, as she pointed towards where she was mentioning.

"Over there? But isn't that in the direction where-" Dr. Julien said, but was cut off by Misako as she said,

"Where Ninjago City is."

After a moment of silence, Sensei Reine said,

"He could be hiding out in Ninjago City. It's not like any of us have been there this whole time."

"That's correct my love. That would be the perfect spot," Terrin responded.

"I'll tell Zane to send the Falcon to investigate," Dr. Julien said, as he headed towards where the ninja were going.

"I hope everything's alright over there," Reine said.

"Let's all hope that everything is well," Sensei Wu said, although he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

**We're getting closer...**


	55. Chapter 55 Full Potential?

After being informed of what the others spoke about by his father, Zane sent the Falcon straight to Ninjago City.

"Do you think everyone's alright over there?" Jay asked.

"Didn't you guys see the news?" Cole asked.

"Yeah we did. Everything seemed like it was just fine," Nya replied.

"Well, it's better safe than sorry," Lucy said kindly, and yes she followed them. She's a kunoichi after all.

"Alright alright, wonderful. Now let's get to training Raven. The rest of you go do something with yourselves. Train. Sleep. Just give us some space," Flare ordered.

The others just shurgged and backed up while Flare went to talk to Raven for a bit.

"Why is she so pushy?" Jay asked, since he was a safe distance away from Flare.

"That's just how she is," Cole replied.

"She's just direct," Christa said.

"A little too direct at times, if you know what I'm saying," Dareth said, as the others just nodded, except Kai, Christa, Lloyd, and Auria.

Although Auria and Lloyd didn't have a reaction, Kai was growing more aggrevated by the conversation.

"I mean, sure she's a princess, but come on!" Jay said.

"Well Jay, her mother _was_ an evil villian for awhile. At least Flare didn't end up like that," Nya replied.

"I guess so," Jay said.

"Flare isn't so bad once you get to know her. She may seem pretty cold, but she can be very nice," Christa said.

"Well, we've known her for awhile already, when is she going to get nicer?" Jay asked, with his arms crossed.

That was enough for Kai to finally lose his patience and temper.

"Why does she have to 'get nicer'?' Flare doesn't have to do anything she doesn't want to! Especially to please people like YOU!" Kai yelled out suddenly, which made the others jump, especially Jay.

"Woah! Kai! What-" Jay was interrupted by Kai who said,

"Talking behind her back because your too afraid to talk to her face to face! Your such a coward! Even if Flare comes out strong sometimes, at least she's honest and she'll tell you in your face! She's not afraid to be herself!" Kai yelled at Jay, as everyone just watched in shock, as well as Flare and Raven since they heard Kai yelling out.

"Kai calm down," Nya said, as she held her brother's shoulder, but she pulled away when she felt an immense amount of heat radiating from him.

"What the?" Nya said looking at her hand and then back up at Kai, who was too focused to notice.

"Hey Kai, come on, I didn't mean to-" Jay said, but was interrupted by Kai again, who said,

"You didn't mean to?! That's probably what everyone says when they get caught being a jerk to someone who's more awesome at fighting and cooler than they are!"

Flare's eyes widened in amazement at Kai's complement, and the other ninja around were astonished as well, but not as much as Flare.

"Kai, calm down. There's no need for this aggression," Zane said, but Kai just wasn't hearing it.

He wasn't hearing any of it as he continued yelling at Jay,

"Your one to talk! You don't know what pressure she went through being a princess with an evil mother and a good father! You don't know how hard it was for her! You DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" Kai said as his eyes turned into a glowing red color, and his body was starting to glow red and orange.

"Kai! What are you doing?!" Nya called out to her brother.

The air around Kai became increasingly intense, which made everyone start to back away from him.

"Kai stop this!" Auria called out.

"It's too hot Kai, stop!" Christa called out.

"I'm sorry Kai, I didn't mean to be a jerk about it! Call off the flames!" Jay yelled out to Kai, but Kai couldn't control himself.

"I...I... I Can't! I CAN'T!" Kai yelled out in a panic, but that just made it worse as his body started to actually become fire, starting with his feet.

"Kai! Kai! Stop!" Lloyd called out, as he tried to move closer to Kai.

"Lloyd! Be careful!" Cole called out covering his face.

"Lloyd! Kai!" Raven called out, but Flare stopped Raven from running over.

"You'll be turned into barbeque if you go, let me!" Flare said to Raven as she pulled out her Shadow Scimitar.

"Flare!" someone said from behind, as Flare turned to that person.

"Kai! You have to control yourself!" Lloyd called out to Kai, as he continued to walk closer to him while covering his head and trying to use his power to shield himself from the flames.

"I can't! Stay back Lloyd! I don't want to hurt you!" Kai said to Lloyd.

"I won't! I have to help you!" Lloyd said, as he came closer to Kai, but the fire became much more intense and Lloyd could barely move another step.

"Lloyd! Just get away!" Kai said as he held his head, trying to control himself, but it was futile.

"K-Kai!" Lloyd yelled out.

"Lloyd! Kai!" Raven yelled out again.

Then, a shadow emerged from the ground between Kai and Lloyd, and in the space of the shadow, the fire was pushed back for that moment. From the shadow of the ground below came up Flare and Sensei Reine slightly above the ground. Sensei Reine turned to Kai and immediately placed her hand on his forehead and said,

"Cease!"

As sudden as Sensei Reine and Flare came, the fire that surrounded the area ceased. The other ninja were able to look up and see that Sensei Reine still had her hand on Kai's forehead, and that Kai seemed like he was staring into space, although his body was still glowing.

"Kai, breathe out," Sensei Reine said calmly, as Kai let out a breath of air, and his body returned to normal.

Sensei Reine then took her hand away from Kai's head, as he fell down on his hands and knees.

"Kai!" Nya said, as she knelt down next to him on his left.

"Are you alright?" Flare asked, as she knelt down next to Kai on his right.

The other ninja gathered around, but they didn't get too close since they wanted to give him some air.

"Uhh, my head... Wha-What happened?" Kai asked, as he held his head with one hand, and slowly lifted his head up.

"Easy Kai, don't push yourself too hard," Sensei Reine said.

"Man, you were really on fire Kai," Flare said, and Kai smiled tiredly and said,

"Well, I've always had a 'fiery personality.'"

"Really? Your making jokes now?" Cole said unamused, as Kai just looked up at him and said,

"Eh, you know me."

"What happened to you Kai?" Lloyd asked.

"Yeah, your whole body just went ablaze," Christa added.

"I don't know. I just felt a rush of heat inside me and, then I couldn't stop it," Kai said as he tried to get up, but he couldn't find the strength at that moment.

"Be careful Kai, don't hurt yourself," Raven said, concerned, as Kai looked up at her, signed, and then he stood sitting on the ground.

"Whoa man, that was _some_ fireworks," Dareth said.

"Yes it was, but that doesn't mean it may not happen again, and to each of you," Sensei Reine said.

"What do mean 'to each of you'?" Jay asked, and Sensei Reine explained:

"I guess now is the appropriate time to explain this to you. When you ninja received your golden weapons, you learned how to unlock your True potentials. With your True potentials, you could harness your elemental powers to your max, and become your elements temporarily. Even when you empowered yourselves at the Temple of Light, you were able to enhance your abilities further. However, now that you've received the Platinum weapons, and this goes for you kunoichi as well, you can now access your _Full_ Potentials."

"Full potentials?" Zane asked.

"Yes, your Full potential. It's a little different from True potential because with this power, you can truly become _one_ with your respective elements. Your powers over your elements will exceed normal means. You will have full control, even over your environment. It is a truly amazing and great power, but with this great power, comes a great penalty," Sensei Reine said.

"A penalty? What penalty?" Cole asked.

Sensei Reine signed sadly and answered, "If you don't train yourselves to harness your Full potentials correctly and if you use them for too long, the effects of your Full potentials on your bodies will be too great... and there is a high probability, that you won't survive."

The ninja and kunoichi gasped.

"Are you serious? We could actually end up dead?!" Jay asked in a panic.

"How could our own elements kill us?" Auria asked astonished, and then Sensei Reine answered,

"Your bodies need to adjust to using such immense power at one time, and the only way to do that is to train your bodies and minds, to keep them as one and in sync. If you can't do this, then your own inbalance, will be your own undoing. You must be careful with this power. It's not one to take lightly."

The ninja and kunoichi looked towards one another, and then they looked down, stunned by what they just heard.

"So, I could've..." Kai said as he thought about what couldn've happened to him.

"Don't worry Kai, your alright now, and that's what matters. But you all need to train your Full potentials, and you two," Sensei Reine said, as she pointed to Christa and Lucy.

"You two should also start to prepare yourselves for when you are able to unlock your Full potentials. You may not be able to use it now, but you can start your training for it now to make it easier to use later," Sensei Reine said, and Christa and Lucy nodded.

"Then we must start immediately. We can't risk something like that happening again," Zane said.

"Yes, but for now I would like all of you to just take a breather. We'll begin your training of your Full potentials later today or tomorrow," Sensei Reine said, and the ninja and kunoichi nodded.

Kai was able to stand on his two feet again, with Nya and Flare to help him up. The others were pretty shocked by the news of Full potential though.

"It's so strong," Christa said.

"And so scary," Jay said.

"We could possibly perish if we're not careful," Auria said.

"We gotta train hard then," Cole said.

"Then that's that. We have to train, and we have to train hard to control our powers. At least we can learn how to use it," Lucy said, and the others felt a little better about the situation.

"Yeah, your right. We can still train ourselves to use our Full potentials right," Cole said.

"Then we better start training!" Dareth said with a big grin on his face, as the other ninja and kunoichi lightened up.

Lloyd was a little stress from hearing the news of the full potential though.

_'They... they can actually die from using their powers... but... but they can't... they can't risk their lives like this. If anyone should be risking their life, it should be me,'_ Lloyd thought.

"What's the matter Lloyd?" Lloyd turned and noticed his mother walking towards him.

"Mom," Lloyd said.

"I heard what Sensei Reine said. Is that what's troubling you?" Misako said, as Lloyd signed and said,

"Yes. I care a lot about them. They're my friends, and I wouldn't want them to risk their lives like this. I should be the one risking my life. They have so much to live for."

Raven was hearing what Lloyd was saying, and she turned towards him, although he didn't notice since he was looking down.

"The ninja and kunoichi banded together as comrades and friends because they were willing to risk their lives to save everyone and protect those they love, as you do too. They knew what risks they would have to take, and they were willing to take them, for everyone and for each other... and Lloyd, you have a lot to live for too. Your the protector of Ninjago, the Golden Spinjitsu Master, and..." Misako said, as she noticed that Raven listening.

"And your her prince," Misako whispered, as Lloyd looked up at her, and then he noticed Raven walking closer to him.

"Lloyd, you won't have to fight on your own. I'll be here for you, just like the ninja and kunoichi. We're all here for each other, and especially for you," Raven said, as she stood in front of Lloyd.

He was surprised for that moment, but then Lloyd smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, as Raven leaned her head on his shoulder. They looked at each other with a smile on their faces and bright eyes. Misako smiled at the young ninja, as the others turned and saw this, which made them smile.

Kai looked towards Flare and noticed that she was still holding him up. He continued to look at her, and then Flare turned to look at him. They just looked into each others' eyes, not realizing how close they were. They both snapped out of their thoughts, realizing who the other person was, and they looked away quickly. Flare had a light pink tint on her face with a scowl, and Kai had a red tint on his face with a confused expression.

"Okay guys, let's take a break for awhile, we'll resume your official training later," Sensei Reine said, as she started to walk away.

"Oh, Sensei Reine, may I join you?" Nya said, as she walked towards Sensei Reine, seeing as Kai was capable of standing on his own, although Flare made sure he wouldn't fall on his face.

"Sure thing young samurai," Sensei Reine said.

"Oh, wait let me come too," Jay said, as he ran over to catch up.

"So what should we do guys?" Dareth asked.

"I want to see more of the city," Christa said.

"I'll join you," Auria said, as the sisters walked away.

"I'll go check on the others," Cole said, as he walked away.

"I'm going to my people," Violet said, as Dareth followed her.

"I'll come with you," Dareth said, and Violet nodded towards him.

"Come on Raven, I can show you the city from up above," Lloyd said, and Raven nodded, as they both walked away.

"I shall join Cole. I need to ask my father something," Zane said, as he followed after Cole.

Kai and Flare stood behind, as they watched the others disperse.

"So, you want me to bring you to the infirmary, if they have one here?" Flare asked.

"Nah, I'm good. I'll be alright," Kai said, as Flare released him, and he dusted himself off and stood standing on his own.

"Well you look good now," Flare said, and then Kai smirked and said,

"Oh really, you've noticed."

Kai held his head high, as Flare shook her head with a small smirk.

"Anyway, see ya later," Flare said, as she walked away and waved. Kai's smirk turned into a frown as he saw Flare walking away.

_'Aw man, that was dumb, I shouldn't have said that. I hope she doesn't think I'm an idiot...'_ Kai thought, and then said aloud, since no one was around,

"Wa-wait, am I really trying to _impress_ Flare?!"

Kai looked towards where Flare was walking, and he saw her turn around and look at him and then turn back. Kai let out a soft sign, as he watched Flare walk away with a soft wind blowing through her hair, and the light of the sun refecting off her blonde and orange streaked hair.

"Whoa whoa Kai, what are you doing? She's a princess, and a tough one at that. I don't got a chance with her... or do I?" Kai asked himself.

"She's so tough and strong, but she still has feelings... Oh who am I kidding! I _do_ like her, a lot, but... maybe _he_ could help me out," Kai said, again talking to himself, as he headed to the person who he thought could help him with his dilemma.


	56. Chapter 56 Fire and Shadows

Kai searched around, until he finally found Sensei Wu in one of the buildings where he would be staying with Dr. Julien, Garmadon, and the rest of the guys. The building had three floors, so Sensei Wu, Garmadon, and Dr. Julien took the third floor rooms, Kai and the other ninja took the second, and Terrin took the first floor, since he wasn't much of a sleeper at night. Kai stood in front of Sensei Wu's room, as he knocked the slightly opened door.

"Come in," Sensei Wu's voice was heard on the other side, as Kai entered the room and closed the door.

"Ah Kai, what brings you here?" Sensei Wu asked.

Sensei Wu was in a pretty plain room, with a small table and tea set in the middle, a few pillows on the ground to kneel or sit on, and a window with orange curtains that were pulled to the sides. Kai sat in front of Sensei Wu and said,

"Sensei Wu, I... I really need your wisdom."

Kai looked down, as Sensei Wu asked, "Of course. What is it you need guidance on?"

Kai swallowed a small lump in his throat and said, "It's about... me and Flare."

Sensei Wu was in the middle of drinking his tea, when he choked a bit, but he was able to keep his composure and tea down his throat, as he said,

"Um, eh hem, yes, continue. Did you get into another fight?"

Kai shook his head and said, "No we didn't. I've just been getting these feelings around her lately, and they've grown stronger the longer I've been around her. I can feel it on the inside, like there's a fire inside of me, and it's been growing the longer the time I spend with her. I've never really felt this way for someone before, and I don't know what to do."

Sensei Wu listened intently to Kai, and then he looked up at his brother, who had just entered the room.

"Well, it seems like your heart is telling you something Kai," Garmadon said, as he sat on one of the pillows adjacent to Kai and Sensei Wu.

"Uh, Garmadon," Kai said nervous.

"It's alright Kai. I won't speak a word to anyone else," Garmadon said reassuringly, as Kai nodded.

"Yes, and I believe what my brother says is true. Your element is fire Kai, and if you feel the fire inside your heart growing, then your heart is indeed telling you something," Sensei Wu said.

Kai thought about it, and then he said, "Wait a minute, then that means my heart is telling me... that I have feelings for Flare."

Sensei Wu nodded and said, "If you feel it is, then it is."

Then Kai said, "But I don't understand. Flare and I have been bumping heads since day one, and we still do. Well, way less then before, but still! I don't understand. How can I feel this way for her? It's so strong, it's driving me crazy!"

Then Garmadon said, "Kai, your feelings for Flare is natural. Opposites can attract. Although I do sense a fire within her heart, it isn't like yours. She was destined to have the power over shadows, and I believe that form of dark fire that she has fuels the shadows she possesses."

Sensei Wu pondered this, and then he said, "Fire and Shadows are not so different though. A fire is a source of light, and with that light it creates shadows. Both aren't the same, but they are formed together. A spark starts a fire, and as that fire glows brighter, the shadows grow larger as well."

Sensei Wu took a sip of his tea, as Kai pondered this.

"We're not so different after all, Flare and I," Kai said, and Sensei Wu and Garmadon nodded.

Then Kai thought, '_I'm the fire, she's the shadow. We're not exactly the same, but we're meant to be together... Flare..._'

Kai stood up, as Garmadon and Sensei Wu looked up at him, wondering what he was up to. Then Kai looked up at both of them with a smile of relief and a new light in his eyes.

"Flare... we're meant to be. We're really meant to be! I'm the fire and she's the shadows... I have to see her!" Kai said, as he turned and hurried out of the room.

"Kai, what do you plan on telling her?" Sensei Wu asked.

"How I feel!" Kai yelled back.

Sensei Wu and Garmadon turned towards one another, and they smiled.

"Cup of tea?" Wu asked Garmadon.

"If you please," Garmadon said.

Flare was wondering around the City of Ouroborus, just examining and exploring the new place.

'_This is where the snakes used to live before... tsk, no wonder the Viporeons left, there's no ACs here,'_ Flare thought, as she stood in front of an interesting building.

She looked inside, which had no door, and saw that they're was one ceiling four floors up, and that it was like a long spiral staircase that went upward to a ladder that led to the roof. They're was metal scraps, broken machinery, and boxes of metal parts stacks around the first floor, and up the wide staircase.

"What a weird place," Flare said outloud, and then she heard a voice call her name.

"Flare!"

She turned, with an arched eyebrow, and saw Kai entering the building.

"Oh, hey Kai. What's up?" Flare asked, as Kai walked towards her and stood a few feet in front of her.

"Flare, I want to tell you something. Something important," Kai said seriously, and Flare just put her hand on her hip and said,

"Well, go ahead, what is it?"

Kai took a moment to breathe since he was running. Flare just looked at him plainly, until he started walking closer to her.

"Flare, I know we weren't on good terms at first, but the longer time I've spent with you, the more I realized how cool you really are, and well uh..."

Kai was about a foot away from Flare when he stood still and started rubbing the back of his head with one arm, as Flare looks at him questionably.

"The thing is Flare, I think I really, well I know I do, but I think I know that I really, you know. Uh! Why is it so hard to tell you?!" Kai said, flustered and then frustrated, as Flare looked at him with a little annoyance, since she thought he was being rude, and she asked,

"Tell me what Kai?!"

Kai looked away from Flare, and tried to speak, "I just want to tell you, you know-"

"Tell me what?" Flare interrupted.

"Y-You know, I just wanted to tell you-" Kai was interrupted by Flare again who said,

"Well I don't know, and I can't read your mind Kai."

Kai become more frustated, and then he said, "I know that, but it's hard-"

Flare interrupted again with a more annoyed expression, "Can you just tell me straight out."

Kai was more aggravated, but then he immediately went and grabbed Flare by her shoulders and said,

"Flare I like you a lot and it's more than just a friend!"

Flare's expression became full of surprise, with her eyes widened, and her mouth a little opened.

"W-What?" Flare asked, to be sure of what Kai just confessed.

"Flare, during our journey, I've really grow to like you a lot. At first I thought I was kidding myself, but I'm more sure now than I was before. Flare, I lo-"

"No. This can't be," Flare interrupted, as she put her hands on Kai's hands and lifted them off of her shoulders.

"Flare, I really do." Kai said.

"No, this can't be possible. You can't really feel that way for me. Not me. I-I'm not nice like other people are. I'm not-" Flare was interrupted by Kai this time, who said,

"Flare, you don't have to be nice like other people, or anything like someone else. Your you, Flare, all the time, everytime. You taught me that. Your the best you, and I lo-"

Kai was interrupted by Flare, who backed away from him as she said,

"Kai, don't play around with me. Don't lie to me!"

Then Kai said, "I'm not playing around and I'm not lying! I'm telling you the truth, from my heart."

Flare started backing away up the stairs, as Kai followed her.

"Your heart... No. No! You can't really feel that way for me! You can't be serious," Flare said with confusion and avoidance.

"I _am_ serious Flare. I wouldn't be telling you this if I wasn't... Hey! Where are you going?!" Kai called out, as Flare started running up the stairs, and then he ran after her.

"I'm not finished talking to you yet Flare, hold on!" Kai called out.

"How could you feel that way for me?! I was mean to you! I played pranks on you! I indirectly called you a dog! I called you 'fire boy!' What do you see in that?" Flare asked, and transparent liquid began to build up in her eyes, as she continued to run upward.

Then Kai replied, "Flare, I was a vampire jerk at that time, and I wasn't welcoming to you when you first joined us so I understand why you were like that. I wasn't so nice to you either, and I'm sorry about that."

Flare started listening more intently to Kai, as she continued running up the stairs.

Kai continued, "Also, I don't mind if you call me 'fire boy,' although I wouldn't mind being called 'fire man' or 'fire guy.' But most importantly Flare, what I see in you is a special kind of light, and that light can be hostile, or really helpful... and very beautiful. Just like you are."

Flare continued running, but she turned her head towards Kai, as he continued running after her. Then Kai smiled at her and asked,

"Flare, would you give us a chance?"

Flare looked at Kai in surprise, but then she looked forward and saw the ladder that led to the roof and quickly climbed up.

Flare was able to open the hatch easily, and jump up on the roof. She looked around real quickly at her surrounding, and she stopped when she noticed an extra room on the roof that was suppose to be the roof access, but the building was being remodeled from the inside first. Flare walked closer to it, and before she had a chance to flee, she heard feet landing behind her. She spun around and saw that Kai was standing there, with a facial expression that showed determination, passion, and confidence.

"Flare," Kai said, as he walked towards her, and as Flare backed away until her back hit on the wall of the roof access.

She stood with her back pressed against the wall, with nervousness in her eyes. Kai noticed her nervousness, and he remembered a similar situation. After realizing this, Kai smirked as he slowly walked towards Flare and said,

"Funny, huh Flare? We're in the same situation like in Fountain Falls. Remember, when you found out that I liked you and you were flirting with me just to make me uncomfortable. I never thought we would be in that same situation again. Of course..."

Kai stood in front of Flare, as he leaned his hand on the wall next to her, and placed his other hand under her chin to make her look up at him. Then Kai said with a smirk,

"The tables have turned haven't they, my shadow princess."

Flare blushed vivdly, and gritted her teeth nervously, trying to think of how to escape from Kai, but there wasn't a way she could think of.

'_Darn_,' Flare thought, more angered by how nervous she was around him then her thoughts of escaping.

Kai noticed that Flare was nervous and getting angry, which made him lower his hand from her chin and back up by a few steps, especially since he didn't want her to attack him or something.

Then he said, "Flare, I really do like you a lot. Even if you think it's impossible, nothing is impossible. I should know, I'm a ninja for crying out loud. Who would've thought that _I_ would've become a ninja... Anyway, I want to tell you how I truly feel, even if you reject me. I want to tell you that..."

Flare was less nervous since Kai backed up, and her expression was calm and intrigued by what he was going to say.

"Flare, I love you," Kai said, as Flare gasped with widened eyes.

Kai looked away after a moment, because he wasn't sure if he was ready for rejection, and he knew that Flare might slap him around afterward. Flare was stunned for that moment in time, and she thought,

'_He... Kai, you fool. You really love me? Well, I guess we're not so different huh? Because to tell you the truth..._'

Flare walked towards Kai, who was still looking away, and she placed her hand on his face to turn him towards her. Kai was surprised by not getting smacked, but he was mesmerized in that moment of looking into Flare's eyes, as she was looking into his. Then Flare smirked and said,

"Kai your a fool, but your not an idiot. Now give me a kiss you stubborn jerk."

"Wha-hmm," was all Kai could say when Flare gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

Kai's face turned bright red like his gi, as Flare smiled at him and said,

"I love you too, Fire guy."

Kai was even more stunned by Flare's confession, but then he signed and smiled.

"Flare," Kai said and added, "Your one in a million."

Flare smirked and said, "Hm, well, your one in a lot."

Kai laughed a little, and then he asked, "Sooo, are we, you know, going out?"

Flare put her hand on her chin to think, and then she replied, "Sure thing Kai, but of course, there's one thing you'll have to do first."

"And what's that?" Kai asked.

"You'll have to talk to my parents of course! I just hope my mother is in a good mood," Flare said playfully, as Kai's face became paled by remembering who Flare's mother was.

'_Oh no. I totally forgot about Queen Malentha... Aw man she's going to skin me alive... probably,_' Kai thought.

Then Kai shook it off and said, "Well... then... let's just hope that her highness _is _in a good mood."

Flare was impressed by Kai's bravery, as they gave each other a side hug and moved towards the ladder to exit the roof.

"Why is this building weird?" Kai asked.

"I have no idea," Flare replied.

From above, Lloyd and Raven we're riding the Golden dragon and looking around the city, when they noticed Kai and Flare on the rooftop. When Flare and Kai kissed for that moment, Lloyd and Raven's jaws dropped, and they both stood in more shock when they saw them side hug one another.

"What? What just happened?" Raven asked.

Lloyd shook his head slowly and said, "I really don't know."

Then Raven laughed a bit and said, "And they called us 'love birds' huh?"

Lloyd snapped out of his shock and turned towards Raven. They both started to laugh, and then Lloyd said,

"I know right? They were bothering _us_ about being 'love birds'."

Then Lloyd thought, '_Well, that's one way I could get Kai back for telling Flare about what happened in Fountain Falls.' _

Lloyd continued flying around with Raven, as they looked at more sights and saw something not too far from them...

**These chapters are going to be a little more calm, but soon that will change...**


	57. Chapter 57 Earth and Sound

During the time of Kai confessing to Flare, Christa and Auria were walking around Ouroborus, taking a tour with Marcell, Lucy, and Fangpyre.

"See, I made a few adjustments to this city, since I thought it would be a nice touch, and especially since my people were living here," Marcell said as she gestured to some buildings on her left side.

As she continued speaking, Christa heard a few voices not too far away on her right and she turned to see Zane, Jay, Nya, and Cole walking and talking to one another. She stood looking at Cole with a shy smile, but then she was a bit surprised when he turned her way and noticed her looking at him. After a moment of looking at one another, Cole smiled at Christa with lovey eyes, as Christa blushed a pink tint, and she put her hand on her face.

"Where's the bathroom?" Jay asked, cutting in the conversation of their group.

"Oh, I think it's right, over, there," Cole said while flexing towards a building not too far ahead of them, as Christa giggled lightly and he smiled at her.

"Oh thank goodness!" Jay said, as he started running towards that building.

Nya and Zane looked after Jay since he ran really fast, and Cole was still looking at Christa, as he blew a kiss in her direction. Christa caught it, and she held it to her heart, as she blew a kiss to him, and he did the same thing. Auria noticed this from the corner of her eye, and she thought it was cute how they were with one another, but she kept her eyes on them.

"Seems like he's going to be there for awhile," Nya said to Zane.

"Should we wait for him?" Zane asked Nya.

"Yeah. It looks like there's a lobby. Is that supposed to be a hotel or something?" Nya asked and Zane just shrugged his shoulder.

"Well, let's go inside and wait. Cole are you coming?" Nya called out, while walking with Zane towards the building.

"Huh, uh, yeah, I'm coming," Cole said, but before he left, he took his Platinum Earth Scythe and lightly hit the ground.

Suddenly, a rock that was in front of Christa started to change shape until it turned into a circular form. Christa picked it up, and she saw that it was a bracelet that had multicolored gems on it, and a nice brown tone for the rest of it that wrapped around the wrist. Christa looked at Cole and smiled as she tried it on, and it fit perfectly. Christa whispered into her palm, and with her sound power, she blew her message towards Cole.

Then Cole heard Christa's voice say, "Thank you."

Cole smiled and waved at her, as she waved to him, and then he went towards the building. Christa turned around and rubbed the bracelet with her other hand as she signed, lightly. Auria could only smile a little at the cuteness, but she kept herself stern and focused on what Marcell was saying.

"Okay, so I tried to build some hotels and businesses so that the Serpentine can do something with their lives, and my people too since we like to travel and I thought that it would be a good idea. Oh, and maybe just selling stuff in a market or something. I don't know, whatever they think to do," Marcell said.

Then she turned towards the others behind her and said, "Anyway, I think I've shown you guys enough. I need some shut eye for awhile. Lucy, do you think you can watch over things for awhile? And you too Fangpyre?"

"Of course Marcell," Lucy said with a smile.

"Yesss/We'll watch over thingsss," Fangpyre said, with a bow.

"Wonderful. Everyone, your dismissed now," Marcell said as she stretched her arms upward.

"Thank you Marcell. That was very informative," Auria said.

"Why thank you for your thank you Princess Auria. I appreciate your words... Hey, what's that you got there?" Marcell asked when she noticed Christa's glistening bracelet.

"You mean my bracelet?" Christa said, as she showed the bracelet on her wrist to Marcell.

"Ooh, it's so pretty," Lucy said while looking over Marcell's shoulder.

"It's very nice. Such a brilliant shine of the crystals, and that neutral brown is a nice touch. Where did you get that?" Marcell asked.

"Oh, um, C-Cole made it for me," Christa said shyly, as she blushed a light pink tint.

Lucy continued to look at the glittering bracelet, as Marcell nodded and said,

"Dang, he gave you a nice gift. I wish someone made something like that for me. He's the Earth ninja right?"

Christa nodded, and then Marcell smirked and said, "Ah, Earth, and your element is Sound as you told me... well, doesn't that sound like a earthquake."

Lucy giggled at Marcell's pun, as well as Fangpyre. However, although Marcell only meant it as a pun, Christa took it in a different way.

She thought, '_Sound like an Earthquake... sound waves, create earthquakes. So, does that mean that, I might hurt Cole? I am sound, and he is earth. Together, we'll only create an Earthquake?! No... then that means I may actually __**HURT**__ him! Oh No!'_

Christa looked down in distraught, which didn't go unnoticed by Auria.

"Christa, what's wrong?" Auria asked Christa in concern.

"Oh, my, w-what if she's right?" Christa said, still not looking up at Auria.

"About what? Sounding like an Earthquake?" Auria asked, as Christa cringed from hearing those words again.

Auria turned and looked towards Marcell seriously, as Marcell looked confused.

"What? You took that to heart? I didn't mean it like that, I meant it as a pun dear girl," Marcell said to Christa.

"But what if your right? What if being together will only result in pain? What if I actually hurt him?" Christa said in distress, as she held her hands to her heart.

"No, that's not true Christa. I've seen both of you, and if I didn't know any better, I would say that you two would be well together," Auria said, but it only comforted Christa a little bit.

"Don't worry Christa. Your very nice and cool. I'm sure you wouldn't hurt anyone, and for Cole to make you such a lovely bracelet, I'm sure he cares a lot about you too," Lucy said, hopefully.

Christa pondered this for a moment, and then she turned and said, "I-I need time to think."

Christa started to walk away, and then she sprinted off passed the building where Cole, Nya, Zane, and Jay were in.

"Aw, dear Christa," Lucy said while looking after her and pouting.

Auria didn't say much, as she just looked after where her sister ran to, sadly. Marcell stood next to Auria and said,

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause this trouble."

Auria shook her head and said, "It's alright Marcell. I know you didn't mean it, but I think my sister needs this time to reflect upon her heart..."

Then Auria thought about what Sensei Reine had said before about Christa needing to check on her heart before she could unlock her Full potential.

"I'll see you later," Auria said, and Marcell nodded as she, Lucy, and Fangpyre left.

_'Don't worry Christa. I know just the right person you should talk to,_' Auria thought, as she looked towards a certain building.

Christa continued to run, until she made it back to the arena, where Kai lost control of his Full potential. The arena was clear of anyone, so she stood there to think. She could see beyond the desert on one side, so she just looked out on that side to think.

'_Oh Cole. I like you so much... maybe even love... I wouldn't want to hurt you, and I wouldn't want to be separated from you either... I don't know what to do!_' Christa thought, as a single tear streamed down her cheek.

"What do you mean? Why would she think that?" Cole asked Auria.

"She considered Marcell's words, and now she's contemplating on them because she doesn't wish to harm you," Auria replied.

"Where is she?" Cole asked.

Christa stood where she was as she thought about Cole. She was confused, and she felt hurt in her heart as she thought,

'_What do I do? Should I just stay awa-_'

"Christa!"

Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Cole?" Christa asked, as she turned to see the Black ninja heading her way.

"Christa, what's going on? Are you okay?" Cole said concerned, as he approached the Yellow kunoichi.

"Cole... Please stay away," Christa said, as she took a step back and held her hands towards her chest.

Cole was surprised by her words, so he stopped walking and asked, "What? What do you mean 'stay away'? What's going on Christa?"

She looked away from him to think about how to explain her dilemma, and then she looked back at him and said,

"Cole, I'm sorry. I just... I don't want to hurt you."

Cole arched his eyebrow and asked, "Hurt me? I don't understand?"

Christa signed and said, "Cole y-you... you mean a lot to me and... I don't want to hurt you. Earth and Sound... it's like how Marcell said, even if she didn't mean it... Sound waves can break the Earth apart. I-I don't want something like that happening to you. Maybe it's better if we just... just..."

As Christa spoke, her Platinum Sound Gaunlets on the sides of her belt were glowing yellow, and a wave of visible sound in multiple pastel colors began to encircle her and quicken their pace. She held her head with one hand, about to cry, as the rest of her words couldn't leave her lips. However, Cole knew what she was going to say, and his eyes widened in shock. Then he continued walking towards her.

"Christa, that's not going to happen. I know you, and you know me..." Cole said, but when Christa noticed that he was getting closer, she stepped back again, and the sound waves around her intensified.

"Please Cole. Don't come any closer! I don't want anything bad to happen to you," Christa said, as she felt a painful tug in her heart, as she placed her hand near her heart and winced.

Cole continued walking, and as he could feel the sound waves trying to push him back, he pressed forward and said,

"Christa! Nothing bad is going to happen! Your a kind-hearted lady who loves to sing, help people out, and cook amazing food because you care! Your a natural in using your powers, and I know you wouldn't use them for the wrong reasons, like hurting anyone or me!"

He continued walking against the sound waves that were pushing him back, as Christa thought about what Cole was saying. The sound waves intensified a little more when Cole came closer to her. Then Cole said,

"Christa! Please listen! You know me! I'm strong, like the Earth! I'm tough like a rock! No matter what I won't break easily! I will stand no matter what like I am now!"

Christa gasped when she realized what he said. He was still standing against the sound waves that were pushing him back, and he didn't falter in his attempt to move forward. He was much closer to her now, like three feet away.

"Christa, I Love You!" Cole yelled out above the sound waves since they were getting pretty intense.

Christa was very surprised, as she felt her heart almost melt by his words.

"Cole... I Love You Too!" Christa yelled back.

"Really? You do?!" Cole asked in surprise.

"Yes!" Christa replied.

"That's Great! Can you stop the Sound Waves then?!" Cole yelled out, still fighting the waves.

"Oh! Right sorry," Christa said, and then she swept her hand across where the sound waves were, as they ceased.

Cole was able to stand normal again, and he looked at Christa, as she looked at him. They smiled at one another, as Cole stood in front of Christa. He placed his hand gently on her shoulder and said,

"Christa, I want to be with you, and I don't want you to feel afraid to be with me. I will stand strong for you no matter what... will you do the same for me too?"

Christa looked down, and then she looked up at Cole with a bright smile and said,

"Yes, I will, and I know you will too."

Christa and Cole hugged, and after a moment, Christa noticed the bracelet on her wrist that Cole gave her and she smiled.

Then something happened.

Cole looked down at Christa, and he noticed that she started to glow. They parted from their hug, as Christa started to look at her glowing hands.

"What's going on?" Cole asked, as he looked at Christa in awe.

"Step back!" A voice called.

Cole and Christa looked to see Auria approaching them quickly.

"Auria! What's happening?" Christa asked.

"It's time for your Full Potential to be realized," Auria said, as she pulled Cole back.

"Stand back for now. We don't know what might happen," Auria said to Cole, as he stood back with her.

Christa watched as her body slowly began to glow even more brightly. She reached for her Sound Gauntlets and put them on. Then she closed her eyes, as she felt a wave of power flow throughout her body. Then another wave, and more until the power she received from the Sound Gauntlets had finally unlocked her Full Potential. She opened her eyes, which were glowing yellow, as a surge of visible sound waves in pastel colors dispersed into the air and ground beneath her, causing a rumbling sound that spread far and wide.

When Auria and Cole removed their hands from their eyes, they looked in awe at Christa's new gi: her shoulder armor turned into a silver color with the shoulder spikes staying the same but more rounded, her gloves and belt turned silver-colored, and the rest of her clothes were yellow, with the Sound Gaunlets of Power drawn in silver on her shirt, and multi-colored sound waves drawn around the Gaunlets. Christa looked at her new clothes, and she was so surprised and amazed. She looked at Cole and Auria, who still looked at her in awe.

"Oh. My. Gosh! I finally reached my Full potential!" Christa said happily, as Cole and Auria snapped out of their amazement, and they walked next to Christa.

"You finally did it Christa. I'm proud of you," Auria said with a smile, as Christa hugged her, and she returned the hug.

"That's so cool," Cole said, and Christa turned and nodded towards him.

"Isn't this great? I can train Raven now, whenever she is ready," Christa said with her hands clasped together.

"Hey! What's going on?" A voice from above asked, as Cole, Christa, and Auria looked up to see Lloyd and Raven descending on the Golden dragon.

"So that's the Golden dragon," Auria said.

"It's so bright," Christa added.

Raven jumped off Golden dragon, while Lloyd dismissed it.

"We saw some light and heard a loud sound. Did something happen?" Lloyd asked.

"Yeah, something did," Cole said, as he showed Christa to Raven and Lloyd in her new gi.

The two looked at Christa in surprise.

"-Gasp- Christa, your clothes. You unlocked you Full Potential. That's amazing!" Raven said in delight.

"I know right?" Chirsta said, as she and Raven grasped each other's hands in excitement.

"Whoa, so you have your Full potential now. You can train Raven then," Lloyd said.

"Yes, but of course, I'll wait until Raven finishes training with Flare first," Christa said.

"I would hope you would wait," Flare's voice was heard, as they all turned and saw Flare and the rest of the team gathering, as well as Marcell.

"What's going on here?" Kai asked.

Cole, Auria, Lloyd, and Raven moved over to let Christa be seen by their team. They were all amazed at her new gi.

"Christa, what a wardrobe change. You look way better that way," Dareth said, as he combed his hair.

Violet flicked Dareth on the head, as he asked her,

"What?" and she said,

"Be nice Dareth."

Sensei Reine walked towards Christa, and she smiled and said, "You've finally unlocked Full Potential. Your heart and mind are now one, as well as your Platinum weapon. Your training for Full potential can begin, and when Flare is done teaching Raven the ways of Shadows, you can teach her the ways of Sound."

Christa nodded and bowed respectfully to her sensei, as Sensei Reine nodded back.

"So when are we starting our Full potential training, Sensei Reine?" Jay asked, and Sensei Reine turned to him and replied,

"Tomorrow would be the best time. For now, all of you should relax and sleep well tonight to prepare for training."

The ninja and kunoichi nodded.

"Also, we must be ready in case Darkness, Silva, or Kerri wish to show themselves during our stay in the desert. Zane. Has your Falcon reached a visual of Ninjago city yet?" Sensei Wu said, and asked Zane.

"Not yet Sensei. He should be in close range by tomorrow, and I can also assume that he would be able reach Ninjago city by evening as well," Zane replied.

"Alright, then we'll have time to train," Sensei Wu said.

"I'll assist the best I can as well. We need to get ready as soon as possible," Garmadon said.

"So should we call you 'Sensei Garmadon'?" Kai asked, with a little amusement.

"Why not? That sounds fair since he's helping us train," Flare said, knowing Kai was half-hearted in his question.

"Yay! Another Sensei to train us," Lucy said joyfully.

Sensei Garmadon smiled and said, "I will do my best for all of you."

"We all will," Misako said, as everyone agreed with a nod.

"Okay, wonderful. You all can train in the arena. If you need more space just ask. I'm sure I can get some Constrictai to build the arena a little larger if needed," Marcell said.

"Yes, thank you Marcell. We will inform you if we need extra assistance," Sensei Reine said, as Marcell nodded.

"For now, we should all get ready for sleep. The sun is about to set," King Terrin said, as everyone turned towards where the sun was and noticed that it was going down.

"Well, let's get ready to hit the hay everybody. I'll show you where we'll be staying incase you don't know," Dr. Julien said, as he lead the Ninja, Kunoichi, and their parents and masters to the places they'll be staying in.

Marcell and Violet decided to talk for awhile, which made Dareth a little sad to be away from Violet, but he took it like a man and followed the others.

"So Violet, what happened while you were with this ninja group? I hope they treated you well and with respect," Marcell asked.

"Everything was fine Queen Marcell. They're a nice group of people. Although their personalities differ, they are very well aquainted and strong as a team," Violet said.

"Well, very good," Marcell said, and added, "If we're going to beat Darkness, I would like to know that I'm working with a strong group."

Violet nodded, as she and Marcell continued on their way around Ouroborus, as the sun was getting ready to set in a few minutes.

**There is a reason for everything...**


	58. Chapter 58 The Second's Suit

Two Days ago:

"Everything has been prepared, we're waiting for your orders," Silva said on the roof of a building in Ninjago city at night.

"Excellent... I believe it is time for us to act now," Darkness said, with his back turned to Silva, looking at the city below.

"Yes Darkness," Silva said, as she took her silver phone from her belt pocket.

"Start 'Operation: Capture' immediately," Silva said to the person she called, as they said,

"Yes General Silva!"

Darkness smiled darkly, as he sensed the activation of five machines in five separate areas in Ninjago city.

Back to Present:

In the morning, Sensei Wu and Sensei Reine decided to wake their students bright and early for training. Sensei Wu went to wake the boys in their 'hotel,' while Sensei Reine went to wake the girls in their 'hotel.'

"Rise and shine students! Get up!" Sensei Wu said while pounding a drum with a stick.

The guys started to groan and snarl and cover their heads with their pillows.

"Can't we sleep for just ten more minutes?" Kai mumbled from under his pillow.

"If I told you that Darkness was right outside Ouroborus-" -Sensei Wu

"He's Outside!" Jay yelled out.

All the guys immediately jumped out of their beds and stood in fighting stances, with their pajamas still on. Sensei Wu looked at his students, and then he signed and shook his head. The ninja were dumbfounded, and then Cole said,

"So he's _not_ here? Great."

The guys looked at Jay annoyed. Zane flicked Jay over the head, as the Blue ninja rubbed his head and said,

"Ow!"

"Ladies, time to get up! We need to start training soon!" Sensei Reine said as she entered the girls' room.

"Do we _have_ to get up now?" Flare asked, sitting up.

"Yes, now would be a great time," Sensei Reine said with a smile.

"-Yawn- Good morning mother," Raven said, sitting up with sleepy eyes.

"Good morning Raven. Oh, and good morning girls," Sensei Reine said, as she noticed that the other girls were waking up.

"Hey Sensei, how your doing?" Christa said, half asleep.

"Very well, now let's hurry girls. We have a long day ahead of us," Sensei Reine said.

"Yay, training!" Lucy said half asleep, but happy.

As the ninja and kunoichi were preparing themselves for the day, Sensei Reine received a package from the postman, who was pretty nervous to come near the city since he knew that, when it comes to the Ninja, crazy stuff happens.

"For you Mrs. Azure. A package from Fountain Falls," The Postman said, as he gave Sensei Reine her package.

"Thank you sir," Reine said with a smile, as she gave him a tip.

"... Finally! SOMEONE gave me a tip!" The Postman said with joy, as he bowed to Sensei Reine, and then jumped on his bike and drove off.

Reine didn't know what that was about, but she just shrugged and returned back into the city, to visit a certain ninja.

"Ugh, so early," Jay whined, as he was putting on his clothes.

"We should be used to this by now," Kai said, as he was brushing his teeth.

Then a knock was heard on the door.

"Lloyd, are you decent? Can you come out here son?" Sensei Garmadon called from the other side.

Lloyd looked down at his clothes, which was just green pajamas.

"Uh, I think so," Lloyd called out, as he headed towards the door.

Lloyd unlocked the door and headed outside, as he closed the door behind him.

"What's up dad?" Lloyd asked.

"Follow me. Sensei Reine wishes to give you something," Garmadon said.

"Uh, b-but I should change-" Lloyd said, but his father grabbed him firmly by the arm and started leading him out of the hallway.

"You look fine. I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Besides, it's better that you didn't change yet," Garmadon said.

The first floor of the building has a lobby when you first enter with a large desk in the front, and then there is a doorway on the left and right sides where you can enter another room that has staircases on the left and right, and an elevator in the middle. From the second lobby with the stairs and elevator, you can climb up to the next floors above to the hallways where the rooms are.

As Sensei Garmadon and Lloyd entered this second lobby from the elevator, Sensei Reine was leaning against the opposite wall, since she was waiting for them to come.

"Here he is Sensei Reine," Sensei Garmadon said, as they exited the elevator.

Reine stood up from the wall, and walked towards them with a smile.

"Oh good, you didn't change yet," Sensei Reine said, since she noticed Lloyd's pajamas.

"Uh, no, not yet. Why is that a good thing?" Lloyd asked, curiously.

"Ah, yes, here you go," Sensei Reine said, as she gave Lloyd a green package.

"What is this?" Lloyd asked, looking at the box.

"This is for you. It's a new ninja uniform. I figured you should have it," Sensei Reine said.

"A new uniform?" Sensei Garmadon asked.

"Well, yes and no. It's new to you, but not to the one who made it… the First Green Ninja," Sensei Reine replied, as Lloyd and Garmadon looked at her in surprise.

"Wait. The First Green Ninja _made_ this suit?" Lloyd asked, and Sensei Reine nodded.

"I believe the First Green Ninja made this second suit besides their own, so that when the next Green Ninja was chosen, then they could wear it. I figured since you unlocked your golden powers, now may be the time to give it to you," Sensei Reine said.

"Interesting. Where did you find this?" Sensei Garmadon asked.

"It was in the Aeroplane temple, where four of the Platinum weapons used to be. I was just walking around the temple with Kani when we stumbled upon a secret room where we found it. I asked Kani if I could keep the suit to look into it's origins, and she agreed. The more I studied it, the more I realized that the only person who could have made the suit had to be the First Green Ninja, especially because of the note that came with it," Sensei Reine said.

"A note?" Lloyd asked, as he looked at the package.

"It's inside. You'll find it when you try it on," Reine said, as she smiled.

Lloyd nodded and bowed, as he said, "Thank you Sensei Reine."

"Your welcome," Reine said.

Lloyd turned towards the elevator and clicked the button, as the doors opened.

"This is pretty awesome," Lloyd said, as he was admiring the suit since he could see a part of it through the clear side of the package.

After the elevator doors closed, Garmadon turned to Reine and asked,

"You knew about the Green ninja and Purple ninja this whole time. Do you also know who they were?"

Sensei Reine shook her head, and said, "I have no knowledge of who the first two were, but I _do_ have a speculation."

As Sensei Reine turned to go, she stood near the doorway and turned back to Sensei Garmadon as she said, "I believe they had a similar relationship like Lloyd and Raven."

After Sensei Reine left, Garmadon stood thinking about her words,

'_That explains why the First Green Ninja mourned over the loss of the First Purple Ninja… Lloyd… Raven… history __**cannot **__repeat itself…'_

"Wow." -Jay

"Whoa." -Kai

"Nice." -Cole

"It fits you perfectly." –Zane

"Awesome." -Dareth

The guys complemented on Lloyd's new suit when he stepped out of the bathroom wearing it:

The suit was all green, with the golden dragon's face drawn in a gold outline on the front. Each side of the Golden dragon's face was symmetrical to a light green lightning bolt that went vertical on the center. The eyes of the dragon were white with black pupils, as the golden part of it faded out from gold to green on the rest of the suit. The sleeves were in black and gold bands up to the shoulders, where two flat and golden shoulder armors were placed on top that had pointed edges that went slightly downward. There was a green belt that wrapped around the waist, and a golden sash on the back that was attached from the right shoulder to the left side of the waist, and it could hold a weapon on the back. There was also a black, square compartment bag attached to the right leg that could hold extra items, and black leg wrappings on the left leg.

"Dude… that is amazing!" –Jay

"Man. Why aren't our suits cool like that?" –Cole

"I think we can all agree to appreciate what we have, considering that we each own a platinum weapon." –Zane

"Yeah, that's true." -Kai

As the other ninja kept talking, Lloyd took out a paper from his pocket, and read the contents:

"To the next Green Ninja, I hope you like this suit. Use it well. -First Green Ninja."

'_It really did come from the First Green Ninja,'_ Lloyd thought.

Then Lloyd turned towards a mirror in the corner of the room, as he took in his new appearance. However he felt something odd overcome him, as his vision started to blur. He tried to blink it away, but it didn't work, as he felt his head weighing down on him.

Lloyd didn't realize that he had fallen down, until he heard the guys calling out to him in worry, as he felt hands grabbing him before he hit the floor.

"Lloyd!"

"Lloyd!"

"What's going on?! Lloy-"

That was all Lloyd heard from the other ninja, as he slipped out of consciousness.

Sensei Wu went to check on the girls to make sure they were ready, but because he was male, he asked Violet to check on them since she was already walking around the city. After about ten minutes of waiting outside, all five kunoichi, Nya, and Violet emerged from the building, ready to train.

"Okay, we're here Sensei. Where are the guys?" Flare asked.

"They're getting ready. I left my brother to watch over them," Sensei Wu replied.

"Let's see if they're ready now," Christa suggested, as the kunoichi, Violet, Nya, and Sensei Wu agreed.

As they headed towards where the ninja were, they saw Misako running into the building with Dr. Julien, Sensei Reine, and Marcell.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked.

Flare looked towards the building, and then she turned to Raven and said,

"Okay Raven, first lesson: Sensing. When you try to sense someone or something, you are looking for the light and darkness of whatever it is, but in this case, the shadows that are within their heart. You have to focus without focusing to get numerous senses, but you focus more when your looking in a certain direction or area, and especially if your focusing on one person. Try to sense where everyone's going to in that building."

"Okay," Raven said, and then she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Raven started to sense those around her, and then she focused more on the building where the others' were running into. She sensed that they were taking the elevator since they were rising up, and then she directed her focus on a room where the ninja were. She sensed that five of the ninja were in distress, and that the sixth one was unresponsive, which meant that he was probably sleeping or unconscious. As Raven focused more on the unresponsive ninja, she felt that he had a stronger light in him than any of the others, which made Raven gasp when she realized who he was.

"LLOYD!" Raven yelled out, as she immediately started running towards the building.

"Wait Raven! We're coming!" Christa called out, but Raven was already close to the entrance.

"_Whoa! She's fast!" _Lucy said, as the group of girls and Sensei Wu ran towards the building.

**Oh no! Lloyd fainted! What happened?**


	59. Chapter 59 Two Sides to One Dream

"What happened?!" Misako asked when she ran into the ninja's room and saw Lloyd, unconscious on the bed.

"We don't know what happened! He was fine a minute ago and then he just fainted," Kai said in panic.

"What was he doing?" Dr. Julien asked, as he placed his backhand on Lloyd's head to see if he had a fever.

"He had just tried on his new ninja suit, and when he had looked at himself in the mirror, he just collapsed," Zane replied, as he stood next to his father.

"Well this is strange? He doesn't have a fever or any signs of a sickness of any sort. Hm... very peculiar," Dr. Julien said, as he continued to examine Lloyd and check his pulse on his wrist.

"But if he's physically fine, then what's up?" Cole asked.

"Oh man, Oh MAN! What are we going to DO?! He just knocked out out of NOWHERE! What if we're ALL going to knock out suddenly? OH NO! I might be next!" Jay yelled out in panic.

"The only reason _you'll_ knock out Jay, is because your talking too much!" Kai said in annoyance.

"Stop it! Now's not the time to panic. We have to keep a level head and we'll be able to figure this out," Sensei Garmadon said.

"Oh Lloyd..." Misako said in concern, as she stroked her son's head.

Then Sensei Garmadon turned to Sensei Reine and asked, "Do you think it was the suit?"

Sensei Reine looked at him and replied, "I'm not sure. But that _is_ a possibility."

"You think the suit knocked him out?" Cole asked.

"Was the suit poisonous?!" Jay asked.

"I don't think the First Green Ninja would want to _poison_ the next one," Sensei Reine said, and then she looked towards the doorway when she heard footsteps.

"Lloyd!"

Everyone in the room looked towards the doorway, when they saw that Raven was the one who called Lloyd's name.

"Raven-" Sensei Reine said, but she stopped herself from saying anymore when she saw Raven run straight next to Lloyd.

"Lloyd..." Raven said in a low and distressed tone of voice.

She placed her hand gently on his cheek, as she used her other hand to stroke his hair softly. Her eyes examined Lloyd's face, searching for a cause to his unconscious state. Misako looked at Raven in surprise to see how much she cared for her son. To everyone in the room, it was a bittersweet moment.

"What happened to him?" Raven asked the others' in the room, as she lifted her head to look at them.

"We're not sure. He just tried on the new suit and then he fainted," Reine said softly, as she stood beside her daughter.

Raven looked back at Lloyd, and then the other girls and Sensei Wu entered the room.

"What's going on?" Flare asked, as they came in.

"Lloyd just fainted out of nowhere. We don't know why," Kai replied.

"Oh no. Lloyd," Nya said, as she walked to the other side of the bed where Lloyd was.

"He just fainted?" Lucy asked, and Dareth replied,

"Yeah. He was trying on his new threads when he just knocked out."

"The suit isn't poisoned is it?" Flare asked, and Jay replied,

"That's what I thought, but no."

Auria walked next to Lloyd, and she placed her hand on his head as she looked at his face more carefully.

"I believe he is dreaming now. I'm sure he'll be fine," Auria said calmly.

"How do you know if he'll be fine? He just fainted out of nowhere. If you ask me, that doesn't soun-" Jay was cut off when Auria looked at him with annoyance.

"What?" Jay asked, as Auria gestured with her eyes towards Raven.

When the others around the room looked at Raven, they saw distress in her eyes as her hands were literally shaking.

Then someone near the doorway said, "Everyone out of the room, besides the family of Lloyd, and my own."

When everyone looked towards the doorway, Terrin was standing there with a serious expression on his face.

"B-But your highness..." Christa said, as Terrin shook his head and moved to the side, gesturing for all others to leave.

Although they wanted to protest, the ninja and kunoichi gave in as they all left the room. Violet, Nya, and Dr. Julien left as well, although Marcell stood.

"This is my land now so I have a right to know what's going on with who dwells in it," Marcell said, as Terrin nodded, respecting her rights.

"Let's see what we have here," Terrin said, as he turned towards Lloyd and examined his face.

"Shouldn't we get a doctor?" Misako suggested, but as Terrin placed his hands at the sides of Lloyd's temple, he shook his head.

"He isn't physically sick or terminal. It's his mind," Terrin said.

"What's happening to his mind?" Sensei Wu asked.

Terrin closed his eyes and his hand were glowing a bit of a bluish hue as he said,

"A door... has unlocked..."

In Lloyd's mind:

"_Uh... what... what happened? What's going on?" Lloyd said, as he looked around and saw pitch black darkness. _

"_Where am I? Why is it so dark in here?" Lloyd said, as he looked around. _

_Then he heard something move behind him, as he immediately turned around._

_Nothing. _

_Then he heard something move again from behind him, and he turned around to see nothing. _

_'What's going on here?' Lloyd thought. _

"_Do you feel..." A disembodied voice said, as Lloyd turned all around, looking upward._

"_Huh?" Lloyd asked, and then the voice continued, _

"_Do you feel her presence? Do you sense __**his**_ as well?"

_Lloyd didn't understand what the voice was saying, but then he saw a flame of fire appear, as it grew larger and showed an image of Raven. _

"_Raven," Lloyd said, as he saw that her face showed sadness._

_Then a small ice cube appeared, and it grew larger as it showed an image of Darkness with a malicious grin. _

"_Darkness," Lloyd said with some anger. _

"_Do you feel her presence? Do you sense __**his **__as well?" The disembodied voice asked again. _

_Lloyd closed his eyes, as he started to actually sense Raven's presence through the image, and Darkness' presence as well. _

"_Yes, I do," Lloyd replied, as he opened his eyes. _

"_Do you love her?" The voice asked. _

_Lloyd looked towards Raven and his eyes softened, as he replied, _

"_Yes." _

_Then the voice asked, "Do you despise __**him**__?" _

_Lloyd turned towards Darkness, as his brows furrowed and he replied sternly, _

"_Yes."_

"_How can you love one, and despise the other?" The voice asked. _

_Then Lloyd replied, "What do you mean? Raven is a good person and she's special to me... but Darkness is a cruel man and he's my enemy." _

_Then the voice asked, "But if she became your enemy, would you despise her as you do __**him**_?"

"_What? Raven would never do that!" Lloyd said._

"_... You still don't know... you don't know the past... so you wouldn't understand yet..." the voice said._

"_What don't I know? What don't I understand?" Lloyd asked. _

"_Answer the question first," the disembodied voice said. _

_Then the images of Raven and Darkness faded, as the fire revealed another image, showing Raven with her back turned, but only the side of her face was shown, revealing one red eye. _

"_Raven!" Lloyd said in shock, seeing her in an almost 'evil' form. _

"_If she became your enemy, would you still love her?" The voice asked again. _

_Lloyd stood silent as he closed his eyes. Then he opened his eyes and replied, _

"_I wouldn't like her to be my enemy... but I would always love her." _

_There was silence for a moment, and then the image of Raven changed to show a good version of her as it faded away. Then the darkness that surrounded Lloyd started converting into light, as the disembodied voice said, _

"_I understand." _

_Then Lloyd started to see the sun set, as he saw his fellow ninja and kunoichi falling into a mass of darkness as they struggled to break free from it. Then the image changed, showing the sun about to rise, as he heard a different voice say, _

"_Before the sun rises... you must hurry before the sun rises... or else..." _

"_O-Or else what?" Lloyd called out to the voice. _

"_All is lost," the different voice and the disembodied voice said at the same time. _

_Then, as Lloyd felt that he was being lifted up, he heard the disembodied voice say, _

"_I know you can make it. I believe you can save-" _

**I decided to post this one a little earlier, and the next chapter may come earlier too. **


	60. Chapter 60 Rise and Shudder

Lloyd gasped as he opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, and then he realized that he was in the room that he shared with the ninja.

"Lloyd. Your awake!"

Lloyd turned to his left to see Raven looking at him with a smile on her face and relief in her eyes.

"Lloyd, your alright!"

Lloyd looked to his right, and he saw his mother looking at him with a smile as well.

"Mom. Raven. What's going on?" Lloyd asked, as he sat up.

"You fainted unexpectedly after you tried on the suit," Garmadon said, as he came closer to him.

"I fainted? Oh yeah! Everything just started to get blurry, and I heard the guys calling my name, but then... nothing," Lloyd said, as he held the side of his head with his hand.

"Well, at least your awake now," Marcell said, as she stood leaning against the wall with her foot on the wall.

"Marcell?" Lloyd said, questionably.

"Yes, hello Lloyd. You gave everyone quite a fright huh?" Marcell said with a smirk.

"I-I did? Oh man, I didn't mean to, everyone, I'm sorry," Lloyd said, as he looked down.

"Don't blame yourself Lloyd. I'm sure you didn't intend to faint," Sensei Wu said as he came closer to Lloyd.

"I don't think it'sss possible to faint on purposssse, unless your a good actor," Terrin said.

Lloyd looked up and noticed that King Terrin and Queen Reine were there as well.

"King Terrin. Sensei Reine. Your here too?" Lloyd asked.

"Of course dear. We were worried," Sensei Reine replied with a soft smile.

"Where did the guys go?" Lloyd asked, as he looked around.

"I told them all to give you some sssspace. Some of their suggestions of your condition weren't very helpful," Terrin replied.

Then Terrin walked closer to Lloyd and asked,

"Lloyd, did you happen to see anything when you were asleep? Anything at all?"

Lloyd thought about it, and then a flash came to his mind, as he remembered the strange dream and the mysterious voices. Then he replied,

"Y-Yeah. I remember being surrounded by darkness, and I heard a voice... they were asking me some questions, and then... Oh! And then I saw the sun set, and the other ninja and kunoichi were in trouble. They were trying to fight some darkness around them. Then I saw the sun rising, and I heard someone else say that I had to do something before the sun rose or else... 'All is lost.'"

Everyone in the room was surprised by this dream, as Terrin thought about it.

"'All is lost'? What does that mean?" Misako pondered.

"The ninja and kunoichi are involved as well," Sensei Wu said, as he stroked his beard.

"What questions did the voice ask you?" Garmadon asked Lloyd.

"Uh, um, I'm not entirely sure, uh..." Lloyd said, not sure if he should tell them, especially since Raven was there.

"Speak the truth Lloyd. What were the questions?" Terrin asked, calmly, as he looked towards Lloyd.

Lloyd signed, and then he replied,

"The voice in my dream asked if I could sense Raven's presence, and Darkness' presence too. Then the voice asked if I love Raven, and if I despise Darkness. Next, the voice asked how could I love one and despise the other. After that, the voice asked... if Raven became my enemy, would I still love her."

"Okay I'm out," Marcell said, as she raised up her hands and walked out of the room.

As everyone's attention was on Marcell for that moment, Raven looked towards Lloyd in worry. Lloyd looked towards her, and Raven looked at her hands as she thought about the last question. Right when Lloyd was going to reach out his hand to hold her hands, Terrin turned towards him and growled, which made Lloyd cringe back.

"What's wrong?" Reine asked her husband, as everyone else turned towards them.

"What were your answers?" Terrin asked, sternly, as Lloyd looked at him with a hint of fear.

"Terrin please, be a little nicer to him. He just woke up," Reine said.

"Hold on my dear," Terrin said, not taking his eyes off of Lloyd, who felt very uncomfortable now.

"What were your answers, boy?" Terrin said, as his blue eyes glowed a little more intense.

"Excuse me, King Terrin, but I don't like that tone your taking with my son," Garmadon said, as he placed his hand on Lloyd's shoulder, protectively.

"Well, I would like to know his answers. It may be more of a concern of mine then I know," King Terrin said to Sensei Garmadon, as they had a quick stare down.

"Dear, please," Misako said, as she held onto Garmadon's shoulder.

"Terrin, your bringing this up now?" Reine whispered to Terrin.

"To the first question..." Lloyd started, as everyone else became silent, and he continued, "I answered yes because I was able to sense Raven and Darkness when they showed me some sort of portal image of them. The second question, I answered..."

Lloyd took a moment to breath since he was nervous, and then he answered with more confidence,

"I said yes that I love Raven, and yes that I despise Darkness. The third question I said that Raven is a good person and that she's special to me, and to Darkness I said that he's cruel and evil. The final question..."

Lloyd stood up and looked towards Raven, as she looked at him, and he said,

"I said that I wouldn't like her to be my enemy..."

Raven looked down sadly until he added,

"But I would always love her."

Raven looked up at Lloyd in surprise, as he looked at her and smiled. She smiled back, as Lloyd stood in front of her, and reached out his hand towards her. Raven took his hand into her own and as they looked into each others' eyes sweetly. Misako, Reine, and Wu smiled when they saw this, as Garmadon also smiled. However, when Garmadon looked towards Terrin, he saw that the king had a stoic expression on his face.

"Terrin," Garmadon said, and Terrin glanced downward.

Lloyd and Raven turned towards Terrin, as they waited for his response nervously. Then Terrin looked up and said,

"You may be the Golden Spinjitzu Master, and the Destined Green Ninja, but... I need to know for sure, if you are a worthy suitor for my daughter. She is part of my world, and my heart. I accept no man who isn't willing to give their all for my daughter's sake."

After this, Terrin turned to exit the room. However, he turned back towards Raven and Lloyd, as they released each others' hand, sadly. Then Terrin turned back and left the room.

As Terrin was walking across the hall, he noticed that Marcell was leaning on the wall next to the door.

"I thought you left?" Terrin asked in a lower voice, and Marcell replied,

"I like a little drama every now and then."

Terrin tsked, and then he continued walking down the hall, as Marcell looked at him and thought,

_'A stubborn king... but he's looking out for his daughter. He looks after his love ones... but he doesn't realize that Lloyd is no different from that...' _

In the room, Reine looked after Terrin as he left, but then she turned her attention towards Lloyd and Raven, and she saw that they were looking down sadly. As Garmadon, Wu, and Misako noticed this, Reine walked towards Raven as she wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulders.

"You know your father. He's cautious, but he loves you greatly Raven. He only wants to make sure your safe and happy," Reine whispered.

"I know mama. He does it out of love, and that's why I'll respect his wish," Raven whispered back, as she looked up at Lloyd.

Garmadon, Misako, and Wu stood around Lloyd to see if he was okay.

"Lloyd. Terrin has Raven's best interest at heart. He loves his family and he is willing to give his all for them. That's why he feels that a man who would do the same for Raven would be the most appropriate for her," Wu said.

"It's not that _you_ aren't worthy, but _he_ wants to be sure," Misako said.

"Terrin has had his eye on you for awhile Lloyd. He already had the idea that you had feelings for Raven... especially since I accidentally told him before we got here," Garmadon admitted, as Wu and Misako looked towards him with some surprise.

Then Lloyd said, "It's okay dad. I don't mind that you told him. He had the right to know."

Then Lloyd looked up at Raven, and he took a step closer to her, as the adults gave them a little space.

"I have to renew my promise then..." Lloyd said as Raven nodded, and then he placed his hand on his heart.

"Raven, I promise that no matter what... I will always love and protect you with all of my heart and my might," Lloyd said, sincerely and confidently.

"I promise too, for you Lloyd," Raven said with sincerity, as she nodded and smiled at Lloyd, and he nodded back.

Wu, Garmadon, Misako, and Reine smiled.

"Alright, now that that's settled, let's head downstairs. The ninja and kunoichi are probably still worried about you Lloyd," Sensei Reine said, as everyone nodded.

"OH! What's taking so long? Is Lloyd okay or not? What's happening up there? Are they okay?" Jay asked, as he was pacing back and forth in the foyer.

"Jay calm down. I'm sure Lloyd will be okay," Christa said, sitting on a couch on one side of the room along with the others, while Violet stood leaning on the adjacent wall.

"How do you know he'll be okay? What if-" Jay was cut off by Flare, who said,

"What if you sit down and relax for a minute!"

Jay signed, as he walked towards an empty seat on the couch and sat down.

"Just be patient. I'm sure someone will come down soon," Auria said.

"Yes. If there were any problems, there's a high probability that we would have been notified by now," Zane said.

"Yeah. We just need to wait and see," Lucy said, as she was controlling some water in her hands.

"I'm not a fan of waiting for something like this, but that's all we _can_ do," Cole said, as they all signed.

"I'm going up to check," Kai said, as he stood up.

"Kai, we should wait here. King Terrin already told us to give Lloyd some space," Nya said to her brother.

"I know Nya, but I just want to make sure that Lloyd hasn't gotten worse or something," Kai said.

"Someone's coming," Dr. Julien said, as he stood near the doorway that led to the next lobby.

"Oh! Is someone finally coming down?" Cole asked, as he stood up and the others stood up too.

Then the ring of the elevator was heard, as footsteps were also heard.

"Your majesty. How is Lloyd doing?" Dr. Julien asked, as the other ninja and kunoichi listened from the other room, wondering who he was referring to.

"Lloyd isss fine now. The others are with him," King Terrin replied, as he continued on his way out to the lobby.

"King Terrin," Christa said.

"Sir, I mean, your highness, is Lloyd really alright? Not that I don't believe you, but he _did_ kind of faint out of nowhere, you know," Kai asked, careful with his words.

King Terrin replied, "The boy is perfectly fine... you can ask him yourssselves."

After that, King Terrin turned towards the door and exited the building without another word.

"Is he okay?" Flare whispered to the other girls.

"He looks a little tense," Auria whispered back.

"He seems upset about something," Christa whispered.

"Maybe he's not used to the air," Lucy whispered, as Flare, Nya, Auria, and Christa looked at her questionably.

"What I mean is, Terrin is more used to being underground and surrounded by water, then being above ground in a hot and dry environment," Lucy clarified, as the girls thought about it, and then they nodded.

"That makes sense," Nya whispered, and the girls agreed.

After a few minutes passed, another ring of the elevator was heard, and numerous footsteps were heard. The ninja, kunoichi, samurai, and general looked towards the doorway, and their eyes widened when they saw light blonde hair with green and golden clothes walking out from said doorway.

"LLOYD!" They all said at the same time, as Lloyd jumped a bit, but then he hurried over towards his friends with a smile.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Lloyd said, as he stood before the group.

"Your ALIVE!" Jay said, as he raised his arms in the air.

"Dude, your back," Cole said, as he patted Lloyd's shoulder.

"It's great to see you in favorable condition," Zane said, with a smile.

"Indeed, yes. We we're worried about you," Auria said, with a nod.

"It's so nice to see your alright," Christa said, as she took Lloyd's hand and patted it.

"Yay! Your okay! We missed you," Lucy said, with a cheery grin.

"Nice to see you again dude, and you look great," Flare said, as she noticed Lloyd's new clothes.

"Yeah, good to see ya, but don't ever do that again," Kai said, as he shook his head, and Lloyd nodded.

"Yeah, sorry about that guys. I really don't know what happened. Everything just went dark," Lloyd said, avoiding to inform them about what he heard and saw in the dream.

"Well, Lloyd, the good thing is that your up and back in action. That's what matters," Nya said with a smile.

"Oh man, Lloyd. Don't scare us like that," Dareth said, as he shook his head, and Lloyd rubbed the back of his head.

"Next time, ask for permission to faint," Violet said with a smirk, as they all started to laugh.

Then Raven walked next to Lloyd, as he looked at her and smiled, and she smiled back.

"Alright everyone. It is time to start your training in Full Potential," Sensei Wu said, as he walked in with Sensei Garmadon, Misako, Dr. Julien, and Sensei Reine.

"Lloyd, you can take it easy for today. Tomorrow you can start training with the others," Sensei Garmadon said, and Lloyd nodded in response.

"Lucy, let's head out too" Sensei Reine said, and Lucy nodded with a smile.

"Let's go," Sensei Wu said, and everyone agreed.

**The Full Potential training can now begin... **


	61. Chapter 61 Full Potential Training (1)

_Sensei Reine and Lucy:_

"Move with the flow. Water has a continuous flow, of which you can lead to strike your opponents. Or just to do awesome stuff like taking water off of someone's clothing or gathering up the moisture in the air," Sensei Reine said, as Lucy was almost dancing with the water she commanded from the water staff.

"But Sensei, being in such a hot desert as this would make it hard to gather water from the air," Lucy said, as she continued to lead the water stream she controlled along with the staff.

"Hm... Yes, your right, the air's pretty dry. But, there are other places to find an extra source of water, like underground," Sensei Reine said, as she patted her right foot on the floor.

"So, I can create my own water, and if I need a lot more, I have to find a source?" Lucy asked, and Sensei Reine nodded.

"That's what makes your staff even more useful since it stores water into the orb on the center candle-flame head. You see, water can be used to fight, but it can be more powerful when it works in abundance," Sensei Reine said.

"Like a stream can transport water, but a river can move rocks and boats across it, right?" Lucy asked, as she stopped moving and placed her staff upright on the ground in front of her.

"Precisely. Also, when there's a storm on the seas, the waves are much more intense in the ocean, and when tsunamis form, they are more powerful forms of waves too," Sensei Reine said.

Lucy nodded and said, "Oh, I understand, it's like how one ninja is strong, but more ninja can pack a punch! I get it."

Lucy smiled, and Sensei Reine nodded with a smile.

"Let's continue training, with offense and defense," Sensei Reine said, and Lucy eyes brightened with interest.

_Ninja and Kunoichi:_

"Try to keep calm, and focus on your elements. Remember, your element is part of you, and you are the _Master_ of your element. Do not let it take control of you, and keep your emotions calm and reserved. Many emotions can be felt at one time, but your element can not handle the amount of emotions you can feel at once. Too many emotions can overload your element and cause you to lose control of it. Like how a slight breeze can upset the balance of a flame on a candle, your element is delicate in the sense of emotions, and can be overwhelmed easily if you become emotionally disturbed or if you can't keep your emotions in check," Sensei Garmadon said to the ninja and kunoichi, as he held his hands behind his back.

The ninja and kunoichi were standing in a line side-by-side, at least seven feet away from one another, with their hands together and their eyes closed.

"As with what happened yesterday when Kai became emotional, he started to lose control, and his fire began to control him since he couldn't even control himself," Sensei Wu said, as Kai opened one eye to look at Sensei with a frown.

Sensei Garmadon stood in front of Kai and raised an eyebrow, as Kai closed his eyes and started to concentrate again. Then Sensei Garmadon continued walking along, as he watched each Ninja to see if they were ready to attempt to use their Full Potentials.

"Also remember, you must keep your mind calm and control your emotions during the use of your Full Potentials. Even if you do activate your Full Potentials, that doesn't mean you can't lose control during it's activation. Keep a level head and a calm heart," Sensei Wu added.

As the ninja and kunoichi stood in their places focusing, Sensei Wu and Sensei Garmadon started to notice that the elements of each one of them started to circle around them. It was very light and almost translucent at first, but for some of them, their element started to gain momentum as it spun around them, and they started to glow in their own color.

Auria, Zane, and Christa were the first to start glowing.

Kai, Cole, Jay, and Flare were taking a little more time to do so.

"Do not be afraid to open up to your element. Just keep yourself calm and in balance," Sensei Garmadon said.

"I... I'm nervous," Jay said, as he tried to keep himself steady.

"Jay, there's no need to be nervous. You must let go of your fear and any other hindrance that will affect your mind and heart," Sensei Wu said.

"You can do it Jay," Nya said calmly, so as not to fluctuate his emotions.

_'Right, I've just gotta settle down, and... let... go,'_ Jay thought, as he finally relaxed on the inside.

Then the electrical charges that surrounded Jay began to grow stronger and his clothes started to glow. As his clothes began to glow a vivid blue, the lightning that circled around Jay started to move faster, and then it headed straight towards him. As Jay was 'struck' with this lightning, his body started to spark and then he opened his eyes as he became an embodiment of lightning:

He looked similar to his true potential, although he didn't have his ninja hood on or any covering on his face besides a headband of white lightning. His eyes glowed a silvery blue, and his body was glowing a vivid blue color, and it was made up of lightning. His hands were glowing dark blue as lightning sparked numerously from his hands in a sphere around them. He was floating above the ground, and white lightning was sparking from his feet, as if that's what kept him afloat. His belt was also pure white, and the area around Jay was like a translucent orb of lightning that was only visible when lightning would shoot out from his body towards it almost randomly.

Sensei Wu, Sensei Garmadon, Nya, Violet, Dareth, and a few Serpentine and Vampires were awestruck by witnessing Jay's Full Potential.

"He did it," Sensei Garmadon said, and Sensei Wu nodded.

"J-Jay," Nya said, as she took a step towards him, but she kept her distance outside the translucent orb.

Jay looked towards Nya with his fierce glowing eyes, and then they softened a bit, as he extended his hand towards her with a smile. Nya saw that the lightning orb around Jay opened up to where she was, and she slowly walked towards him. The lightning that sparked throughout the orb never touched Nya, and then she stood right in front of Jay, as he stood in front of her, just floating above the ground.

"What do you think Nya? Pretty cool huh?" Jay asked, as he smiled at her.

Nya looked at Jay in surprise with a smile and said, "Jay, this is... amazing."

Jay breathed in and out, and said, "Thank you Nya. You almost made me blush though, I have to keep myself calm in this state."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Nya said, but Jay placed his hand on her shoulder, without shocking her, and said,

"It's okay Nya. I think I'm getting the hang of it."

Then Jay held Nya's hand with his left hand, as he placed his right on her waist. Nya blushed a bit, as she held his hand, and placed her other hand on his shoulder.

"When we went to the party at Flare's kingdom, we didn't really dance much, did we?" Jay asked, and Nya shook her head.

"Then let's continue," Jay said with a smile, as Nya nodded with a smile.

They started to dance, as they looked into each others' eyes lovingly, and started to float about a foot off the ground without noticing that they were.

**Jay is the first to unlock his Full Potential. Now the others must do so. But will they be able to do it...**


	62. Chapter 62 Full Potential Training (2)

"Awww..." the Serpentine and Vampires said at the same time, as they watched Jay and Nya dance together.

"How long could he stay like that?" Violet asked, not taking her eyes off of the two love birds.

"At least five minutes," Sensei Garmadon said.

"They have some time left," Sensei Wu added.

Then a whirlwind was seen from the corner of their eyes, as they turned and saw that the wind rushing around Auria was gathering towards her. As Auria was 'blown' by the wind, she opened her eyes as she became the embodiment of wind:

Her body and clothes took the form of gray and white streaks of wind, as her eyes were glowing a silvery gray color. She had a white scarf on her mouth that looked like it was also made up of wind, and her feet were not visible as she floated in the air. Auria's hair looked longer since her hair became wind-based as well, and a whirlwind of wind surrounded her in a protective matter, and it continuously spun around her and would occasionally pull closer to Auria, and then stretch out again.

"Fascinating," Sensei Wu said.

"Whoa, that's so cool. Where's her feet?" Dareth asked, as Violet lightly smacked him over the head.

"That's an unnecessary question. Wind isn't particularly visible, so that makes sense," Violet replied, as Dareth smiled at her, as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Look, he's got it too," Sensei Garmadon said, as he pointed towards Zane, who was not too far from Auria.

The ice that circled Zane in a snowy form started to grow with icicles forming on them, and it moved towards him. As Zane was being 'frozen' by the ice and snow, he opened his eyes as he became the embodiment of ice:

His eyes were glowing golden white, as his body became light blue ice. There was a head band of white on his head, and he wore a white belt made of snow. His hair was made of icicles, and there were icicles on the sides of his arms that stuck upward towards his shoulders. His hands were glowing a vivid white with snow falling down from them. His feet stood on the ground, and the area around each foot was frozen in ice. Also, the area around Zane was frigid, and it could be seen by the snow that floated around him.

Zane looked down at himself, to take in his new appearance.

"Zane," a medium-keyed voice called out, as Zane turned to his left to see Auria floating just outside the floating snow.

"Auria. You too have unlocked your full potential," Zane said, as he turned towards her with a smile.

Auria also smiled, although only her eyes showed it, since she wore a scarf made of wind. Then Zane and Auria locked eyes on one another, as they slowly moved towards each other. The wind and snow around each of them started to flow together around both of them as they came closer together. Then, when they were about a foot apart, Zane and Auria reached out and held hands with both hands, as they gazed into the others' eyes.

"Aw, how cute..." Violet said with a small smirk, as she watched Auria and Zane.

"Interesting. Their elements are cooperating," Sensei Garmadon said, as he noticed how the wind and snow complemented one another around Zane and Auria.

"They are both in sync with their elements... and they seem to be in sync with one another as well," Sensei Wu said, as they continued to watch Zane and Auria, until they heard a sound that caught their attention.

Christa was surrounded by colorful sound waves that circled around her. Then the waves moved towards her, and as the sound waves 'resonated' to Christa, she opened her eyes and became the embodiment of sound:

Her eyes were glowing a silvery yellow, and her body became yellow sound waves that would occasionally pulse with a wave of yellow sound. Her arms and hands were glowing various pastel colors, and she floated just above the ground, as yellow sound waves emitted from her feet on the ground. A yellow scarf with various colors on the tip was wrapped around her neck and just over her mouth. Her hair flowed up and down softly, as a pulse of sounds would occasionally pulse through her hair. The area around Christa would occasionally glow from a pulse of sound waves that emitted from her body.

Christa looked around while spinning, as she ascended higher into the air.

"Such... power..." Christa said out loud, as she flipped in the air and flew around.

"This is amazing. It's like zero gravity," Christa said, amazed, as she descended to the ground, but she stood afloat.

"You seem to be getting the hang of it," Sensei Garmadon said to Christa, as she turned towards him and smiled.

"Only three left," Sensei Wu said, as he stood next to his brother and gestured towards the last three Ninja.

Flare, Cole, and Kai were still concentrating on summoning their Full Potentials. Jay, Nya, Auria, Zane, and Christa stood together, as they watched to see if the other Ninja were able to change too.

_'I have to stay calm, and keep my mind clear, like when I take walks at Fountain Falls, or Aeroplane, or at my own kingdom. I take that time to clear my head... this is the same thing. Yes! The same thing!' _Flare thought, as the shadows circling her grew larger, and they spun around her faster.

Then the shadows went towards Flare, as it 'covered' her and then she opened her eyes, as she became the embodiment of shadow:

Her eyes were glowing golden orange, and her body changed into smokey shadows. Her hair was a darker gray that would flow up and the tips were smoking. She had an orange scarf on her mouth that was smoking at the tips of it. Her feet were planted on the ground, and a circle of shadows were spinning around her feet slowly, as her shadows would pulse from a darker shade to a lighter shade. A glowing white belt was around her waist, and her hands were a darker shade of orange with shadow rings continuously circling them.

Flare looked at herself, as she saw and felt the power of shadows surging through her. Then she looked at the others and smirked.

"Awww yeeeah!" Flare said, as she raised a fist up in triumph.

"You did it Flare," Christa said, and Flare nodded.

"Oh yeah I did. This is awesome," Flare said, and added, "I wonder what else I could do now..."

"Look. He's gotten it," Auria said, as she pointed towards Cole.

"-Gasp- Cole is next," Christa said with a smile.

"Keep your emotions in check," Nya whispered to Christa, and Christa turned to her quick and nodded, as she settled down.

The sand and earth around Cole was circling quickly around him, as it turned and headed straight towards him. Then the earth moved towards Cole and "shook" him, and he opened his eyes as he became the embodiment of Earth:

His eyes glowed a silvery brown, and he wore a glowing white headband on his head. In the center of his chest was a white circle. The rest of his body was made of Earth that was more cracked around the center white circle. The color from the circle outward towards the rest of Cole's body was from orange, to brown, to black, and then to green. Around the circle was orange, on the rest of his torso was brown, on his arms, legs, and face was black, and his hair, hands, and feet were green. He wore a white glowing belt around his waist, and he had spikes going down the center of his back. The ground around Cole was trembling and shifting around him, and some small rocks floated around him in various rings.

"Cole."

Cole turned towards the sweet voice, as he saw Christa floating not too far from him in her Full Potential form.

"Christa. Your in Full Potential too," Cole said as he smiled at her, and Christa nodded at him.

"We all did," Flare said, as she walked towards them.

"Whoa, cool," Cole said, as he saw the others in their Full Potential forms.

"Well, not _all_ of us," Jay said, as he pointed towards Kai.

Kai was still concentrating on his Full Potential. The fire that encircled him grew stronger, but it wasn't ready yet.

"How come he's taking so long," Flare asked, a little concerned.

"Kai is indeed willing, but after last time, I am ninety percent sure he is hesitant to turn into his Full Potential form in fear of losing control," Zane replied.

"He must get over his fear if he is to use his Full Potential," Auria said.

"Is there a way to help him?" Christa asked.

"He must learn on his own," Sensei Wu said.

"Or maybe he needs encouragement," Flare said, and she surfed on her shadows towards Kai.

"Flare, wait. Your presence may fluctuate his emotions," Sensei Garmadon said.

However, Flare continued to move towards Kai. She stood close by him, but far enough not to be near the fire ring that encircled him.

"Kai. Kai. It's me Flare," Flare whispered so as not to disturb him too much.

"...Flare," Kai said, although his eyes were still closed, but he moved his head towards her direction.

"Kai, it's alright. Use your Full Potential. Let the fire that is inside of you take form on the outside," Flare whispered.

"I... I can't. I don't want to hurt anyone," Kai said, as the fire around him dimmed a little.

"Kai, you don't have to worry about that. We're all in our Full Potential forms so we'll be fine. Also, the fire of your Full Potential is a part of you Kai. _You_ control the fire. If you don't want us to get hurt, then we won't get hurt. _You _have the choice," Flare whispered.

Kai took Flare's words into consideration as he thought,

'_She's right... I have the choice. I have the fire. If I don't want to hurt anyone, then I won't hurt anyone. I'll protect them... with my fire, I will fight for them... for everyone... for her...'_

The fire that surrounded Kai started to intensify in heat and light.

'_I won't be afraid,_' Kai thought.

Then the fire spun around Kai much more quickly, as it headed straight towards him. Flare moved back when this happened. Then the fire 'burned' Kai, as he opened his eyes and became the embodiment of fire:

His eyes were glowing golden red, and he wore a glowing white headband on his head. His body was made of fire, and his hair was in the form of shifting flames. He wore a glowing white belt around his waist, and he had rings of fire around his arms, and two sashes made of red fire in an 'x' on his chest. He floated just above the ground with fire emitting from his feet, which kept him above the ground. The area around Kai was dense with heat, and a translucent circular ball of fire surrounded him. Also, his hands were enshrouded by orange, red, and blue fire.

Everyone looked in awe at Kai's Full Potential. Then Kai looked at his hands and said,

"Oh, Oh! Whoa! Look at that! I'm fire. I'm FIIYYYAA!"

Kai shot out fire from his hands in the air, as it blew out in red, orange, and blue flames.

"Whoa ho ho, Kai! That's awesome." -Jay.

"You are on fire man. No pun intended." -Cole.

"Amazing. You finally got it." -Zane

"Yeah! You did it." -Christa

"Great job Kai." -Auria

Kai looked towards the other ninja and kunoichi, noticing that they too had their Full Potentials in use.

"Thanks guys, and your all looking good yourselves..." Kai said, and then he turned towards Flare, who stood not too far from him, and said to her, "Especially _you _Flare."

Flare looked at Kai in surprise, and then she said, "Hmph, well thank you Kai. Your not looking too bad yourself. Now I can really call you 'fire guy.'"

Kai chuckled, as he flew closer to Flare, and then he wrapped his arm around her waist as he pulled her close to his side.

"Then can I call you 'shadow lady?'" Kai asked, as he placed his other hand under Flare's chin to make her look up at him.

Flare kept her emotions calm, as she replied, "Oh I don't mind at all. Although, your flirting isn't helping me stabilize my current form."

"Oh, sorry," Kai said, as he released Flare, and added, "And thanks for helping me back there Flare. I'm not sure if I would've achieved my Full Potential without your help."

Flare waved her hand and said, "Eh, sure thing Kai, but to be honest, you were already the first to achieve your Full Potential before."

"Huh. Oh yeah... I _was _the first to use it. You hear that guys?! I was the FIRST!" Kai said, as the others just signed.

Then Sensei Wu, Sensei Garmadon, Violet, and Dareth approached the ninja and kunoichi.

"So you have all realized your Full Potentials. Excellent work," Sensei Wu said, and the ninja and kunoichi nodded.

"But remember, you cannot exceed the limit of five minutes per hour of these forms," Sensei Garmadon said.

"And by exceeding the limit, when you return to your normal state, the extra energy you used to stay in that form will be taken. In other words, the longer time you take, the higher risk you won't recover," Violet said, and the Ninja nodded towards her. ('Ninja'- ninja and kunoichi included)

"Just stay within your limits, and you guys should be a-okay," Dareth added.

"Eh, don't worry about us. The only ones who should be worrying are Darkness and his goons," Kai said, and the Ninja agreed.

"Oh yeah! High five!" Jay said, as the ninja and kunoichi came together for one high five.

"NO!" Sensei Wu and Sensei Garmadon said at the same time, but it was too late.

At first contact of the high five, the ninja and kunoichi were smacked away by a powerful force, and each one landed on their backs as their Full Potential forms ceased.

"Uuuugghh," the Ninja said at the same time.

Sensei Wu and Sensei Garmadon face-palmed, as Violet shook her head, and Dareth's eyes widened in surprise.

"You still have not mastered your Full Potentials. You need to learn how to stabilize your forms before you can interact as group or even fight together," Sensei Wu said.

"How do you know all of this?" Dareth asked Sensei Wu.

"Sensei Reine informed us. She said her Sensei knows a lot about elemental masters and hidden powers they possess. Although, I do question the identity of her teacher," Sensei Garmadon said.

"Maybe it is best not to question. We should be thankful that we could receive such information," Sensei Wu said.

"True," Sensei Garmadon replied.

"So, what should they do now?" Violet asked, as they watched the ninja and kunoichi slowly rising up from the ground.

"We'll have to wait at least an hour before we can try again," Sensei Wu replied.

"Yay, an hour break," Christa said, as she tried to stand up, but then she sat back down again since she was a little dizzy.

"That's cool Sensei," Jay said, as he tried to walk, but he stumbled over Cole.

"Hey!" Cole yelled out when Jay threw him off balance on the ground again.

"Sorry," Jay said, as he tried to get up again.

"This is going to take a while," Sensei Garmadon said, and the others agreed.

**Full Potentials all day!**

**One more thing, I appreciate being asked, but I'm not going to add other OC's into this story. I'm sorry, but I do thank you for asking. **


	63. Chapter 63 King vs King

***Ding Ding Ding* Let's get ready to Slitherpiiiiit! Yeah! **

**Okay, enjoy.**

Just outside of the city of Ouroborus, opposite the training grounds, Terrin was taking a stroll on his own, clearing his thoughts. He was in his normal human form, as he walked across the sand, and kicked a few stones out of the way that disappeared into the sand after rolling a couple of feet. He signed as he walked on a small sand hill, and he stood looking out among the sand dunes and small craters in the sand. However, he wasn't alone at this point. An invisible serpent had noticed Terrin walking along on his own, and he decided to follow him. He observed the Viporeon King with curiosity and skepticism.

'_Hm, the King of the Viporeons eh? How could a mere human be the king of any Serpentine? Even though the females weren't favorable towards our hostile behavior, why would the Viporeons side with a __**human**__king? Well, let's see if this 'king' is all he is cracked up to be...'_ Pythor thought, as he slowly made his way towards Terrin, now visible.

Terrin heard the sand shifting behind him, as he turned around to see Pythor come to a stop when he turned towards him. Terrin raised an eyebrow and asked,

"So _you've_ been the one following me hm? Is there something you want?"

Pythor replied, "Well, fine sir, I've been meaning to speak to you for some time. As I've been told, you are the King of the Viporeons, the female counterparts of us Serpentine. Although I've heard that you are quite powerful, I am skeptical as to you being a human and being the king over them."

Terrin smirked in amusement and said, "Well, I can understand your skepticism, but I am indeed their king, and I heard that you have once again claimed your own throne to the male Serpentine. Of course, they don't seem fond of you, especially after the Great Devourer incident."

Pythor's eyes squinted in annoyance, but then he straightened his neck up and smiled slyly, and said,

"Yes, it's unfortunate... but maybe I can reclaim the Serpentine's trust, and maybe even the Viporeons."

Terrin tilted his head in suspicion and amusement, and asked,

"Sir Pythor, are you... _challenging_ me?"

"Why your majesty! Why would I want to challenge you? I hear you are fearsome and mighty. Anyone who would challenge you would be mad. But if they _defeated_ you, that may be a miracle that is worthy of respect," Pythor said, as a devious smile grew on his face.

Terrin looked at Pythor more seriously, as a small smile stood on his face, and he said,

"I'm sure they would be worthy of respect, but it's not like anyone has ever lasted long."

Pythor smirked and said, "I haven't been known to let my challengers get very far, especially from my stomach."

Terrin smirked and said, "Then let's see what happens. King versus King?"

Pythor nodded and said, "Why not? King versus King, to see who is the _true_ ruler of ALL of the Serpentine!"

Terrin nodded, and then the battle was about to begin. Other Serpentine and a few vampires gathered close by, and Skales was among them.

"Oh come on! Pythor, why not leave King Terrin alone. There isss no need to show who is mightier!" Skales said, but was disregarded when the crowd of Serpentine and Vampires started to chant 'Slitherpit.'

"I'm sssurrounded by idiotssss," Skales said, as he face-palmed.

Terrin noticed Skales response, but then he turned his attention back to Pythor.

"Shall you take the first attack, your majesty?" Pythor asked Terrin.

"Why not," Terrin said, as he smirked, and then a fiery smoke of blue and black covered over Terrin's body.

When the fiery smoke faded, Pythor and the crowd gasped when they saw Terrin in his Serpentine form.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Pythor said, with panic in his voice.

"There'sss a reason I'm the king, and there'ssss a reason why no one is ssso stupid enough to challenge me," Terrin said, as he grinned with sharp, pearly whites.

Pythor slithered back momentarily, but then he became angry as he stood forward and said,

"No matter what you change into, I _will_ defeat you and prove that I am SUPRERIOR! I won't let a half-blood show me up!"

Terrin didn't like being called a 'half-blood,' but he kept his cool as he smiled and said,

"Then show me!"

"Gladly," Pythor said, and the two kings lunged towards one another.

Although they missed one another, Terrin and Pythor turned around and started to fight. Pythor tried to punch Terrin a few times and tail-whip him, but Terrin was able to block and jump over the tail-whip. Then Terrin tried to punch Pythor, but then he whipped his spiked tail and hit Pythor on the chest. Pythor yelped in pain of the strike, but also because the spikes of Terrin's tail staved him. Then Pythor tried to bite Terrin, but he missed a few times, as Terrin dodged and ducked. Right when Terrin ducked, he upper-cut Pythor's chin, and Pythor yelled out, "OUCH!" After that, Terrin tried to whip Pythor again, but Pythor was able to turn quick enough to bite Terrin's tail.

"AH!" Terrin yelled out as he punched Pythor on the nose, and he released his tail.

Then Terrin hissed and lunged at Pythor, as he dodged. Pythor slithered quickly around Terrin and tied him up with his long tail. Terrin was caught, but he looked at Pythor in annoyance, as Pythor smirked and said,

"Well well your majessty, who would've guessed that I would have cau-"

Terrin swung his spiked tail and staved Pythor on his back, as he also bit his tail. Pythor yelled out in surprise and pain, as his grip loosened. Then Terrin leaped up in the air, and swung around as he flying tail-whipped Pythor across the face. Pythor went flying back and landed on his back, as he stood on the ground, moaning in pain. Terrin shook his head quick, and then stood tall as he slithered next to Pythor. Pythor shook off his dizziness, but his expression became fearful when he saw Terrin's tail, with the spike aiming downward, near his face.

"Your done," Terrin said almost coldly, as he removed his tail from Pythor and started to slither away.

Pythor was pretty upset about losing, but then he became more angered when the Serpentine and Vampires were congratulating Terrin on his victory.

"King Terrin, you are the best!" -vampire

"What technique! What power!" -serpentine

"You beat him down!" -serpentine

"You are the REAL DEAL!" -vampire

Then Skales approached King Terrin and said, "My my, it issss indeed an honor to be in your pressssenccce your highnessss. You are mossst powerful and indeed worthy to be the King of the SSSerpentine assss well."

Skales bowed in respect for Terrin, as did the other Serpentine. Terrin raised a hand up with an embarrassed smile and said,

"Pleassse, there is no need. Bessidess, I find leading one group of Ssserpentine to be enough work than having two. Why don't _you_ lead them, as my number two for the Serpentine?"

"Me? Are you sure ssssire?" Skales said, surprised by the king's proposal.

"Sure. You seem like you are highly knowledgeable and well suited as a leader," Terrin said and added, "Plus, I've heard much about you from the ninja. You've been a pretty big thorn in their side, especially after Pythor was 'out of commission,'" Terrin said.

"Oh, why thank you your majesssty. I try," Skales said, as he bowed towards Terrin again.

However, Pythor was enraged at this point, and was secretly slithering towards Terrin. Then Pythor lunged towards him with all his might and his mouth wide open, as Terrin turned towards him in surprise. Yet, suddenly Pythor was hit by something from above, which closed his mouth and slammed his face to the floor, as well as the rest of his body. The Serpentine and Vampires were shocked, as Terrin smirked. Pythor looked up to see who had knocked him down, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"You already lost. Except defeat with honor," Reine said, as she had her foot planted on Pythor's face, and her arms crossed.

"What an entrance my dear," Terrin said with a smirk, as Reine took her foot off Pythor's head, and headed towards her husband's side.

"Well, no one messes with my husband," Reine said with a smile, and Terrin wrapped his arm around her waist, as he returned to his human form.

"Let's go," Terrin said, and Reine agreed, as they walked back into the city, along with the Serpentine and Vampires.

"I'm coming too Sensei!" Lucy said, as she followed behind her Sensei Reine. (It was during Lucy's training that Reine went to check on Terrin, so Lucy followed her.)

After Terrin and the others were a longer distance off, Pythor stood up and dusted himself off. That blow to the head from Reine, left him a little dizzy, so he stood in place for awhile.

'_He's more powerful than I thought, and his wife is no push-over either. What strength!'_ Pythor thought as he shook off the dizziness and straightened up.

However, Pythor chuckled and thought, '_How fascinating. I wonder... how powerful is there daughter. They are such worthy opponents, and since the girl is the Purple Ninja-'_

"Heh heh heh," A voice chuckled, as Pythor immediately looked around to see who was laughing.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Pythor said, as he continued to look around.

"How funny. The lassst male Anacondrai. I expected more of a fight, but than again, I didn't expect you to win anyway," the voice said, and Pythor turned towards where the voice was, but he didn't see anyone.

"Wait a minute... Your a-a..." Pythor realized who he was probably talking to, as he saw a pair of pink eyes with black slits appear, looking towards him.

Pythor backed away in surprise, as the head and horns of the Anacondrai Viporeon appeared, along with the rest of her slender but muscular body. She stood up tall with a smirk on her face, as Pythor retracted his head towards his body.

"How nice to see you again, Pythor. Remember me? Anaca?" Anaca asked, as she smiled with a toothy grin.

"Why yes. I do remember you, of my earlier youth," Pythor replied.

"Hm, how nice to be remembered. Well, anyway, it's such a good thing that I came a little earlier than the others. I was able to convince them to not be so hostile when we finally met," Anaca said.

"Who are you talking about Anaca?" Pythor asked, as Anaca smiled more amusingly and replied,

"The Viporeonsss."

Pythor turned around when he heard the shifting of sand and gulped when he noticed the army of Viporeons headed towards them.

"T-They're all here," Pythor said in nervousness.

"Well most of them. A few others stood at Fountain Falls to watch over it," Anaca replied, as she slithered in front of the army, and they came to a halt.

"Now remember ladies, be cordial and respectful, considering that the Serpentine allegiance is towards our King and alliesss. There is no reason to fight amongst our brother tribesss," Anaca said, and the Viporeons agreed.

"They had better behave themssselvessss assss well," Carrie the Constrictai said.

"We wouldn't want any accidentssss if they are rude," Vena the Venomari added.

"Now now ladiessss, let usss keep calm. The Serpentine have changed over the yearsss, sssso let'sss not rush into conclusionssss," Serpana the Hypnobrai said.

"We'll see/ if they are/ different/ Although I hope/sssso," Fajra the Fangpyre said.

As the Viporeons headed into Ouroborus, Anaca gave Pythor one last look with a smile, as she continued on her way with the others.

Pythor watched as the Viporeons entered Ouroborus. Then he looked up and noticed someone standing on one of the roofs of a building, also watching the Viporeons enter.

"The girl," Pythor said out loud, realizing that the person was Raven by her purple gi.

Raven watched the Viporeons enter the city, and then she followed after them. Pythor grew a curious smirk on his face, as he headed back into the city, and thought,

'_Well, well. Things have gotten more interesting...'_

**I decided to post this chapter earlier then intended. Well, time to get the next one ready. :) **


	64. Chapter 64 Another Chance

"Hey Raven!"

Raven turned and saw that Flare was calling her.

"Yes Flare?" Raven asked.

"I got an hour of break, so I can take this time to train you with shadows," Flare said, and then she sensed numerous presences walking away from them.

When Flare looked, she saw the Viporeons close to the center of the city.

"What are they doing here?!" Flare asked in surprise, and Raven replied,

"Oh, they just came here not too long ago. Anaca is leading them."

"But what about the Serpentine? The Viporeons don't like the Serpentine," Flare said, and Raven replied,

"They'll be okay Flare. I'm sure of it."

Flare looked at Raven questionably, but then she shrugged and said,

"Eh, alright. Oh wait! Come on, I gotta train you. We have an hour until I have to train in my Full Potential again. I'll have an hour break in between each session, so I can take that time to train you," Flare said, as she grabbed a hold of Raven's arm and dragged her along.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming," Raven said, as she ran along with Flare.

Pythor was not too far from the girls when he saw them run off. He smirked and turned invisible as he followed them.

_Time Skip to the End of the Day(With Quick Summary First):_

After the Viporeons came before King Terrin, they were also brought before Marcell. Terrin was surprised that the Viporeons came, but he didn't mind, as long as if there wasn't trouble. Although the Viporeons avoided the Serpentine mostly at first, by the end of the day, the ice was broken when the ninja and kunoichi had finally finished their training for the day. The ninja and kunoichi were able to talk to the Viporeons and Serpentine, and they were able to help them talk to one another peacefully.

"I guess we can give you foolsss a chanccce to not be idiotic," Carrie said to the Serpentine generals.

"We'll ssssee/ how it goessss," Fajra added.

"Of course our dear Viporeonsssss. We will not make the sssame mistake twice," Acidicus said, as Fangpyre, Skalidor, Skales, and himself bowed respectfully before the Viporeon generals, and they bowed back.

"Wonderful, now let's get things moving Serpentine. We need to pack our stuff and whatever else so that we can head out soon," Marcell said, as the Serpentine nodded and scattered off.

"Impressssive," Anaca said to Marcell.

"Well, you really just need to talk to them. They're a very reasonable bunch of fellows," Marcell said, and Anaca nodded.

"We'll see," Anaca said, as the other Viporeons agreed.

"At least the Viporeons are willing to give the Serpentine a chance," Nya said to the ninja and kunoichi.

"Well, we did our job," Jay said.

"Now it's up to the Viporeons and Serpentine," Kai said.

"Yes. They need time to reconcile," Auria said, as the others agreed.

"Now that that's over with..." Flare said, and she turned to Raven and continued,

"You did really good today Raven. Your mastering your shadow powers pretty well. Of course, we'll train more tomorrow, but all in all you did awesome today."

Raven smiled and said, "I can't wait."

"Good, cause your training is going to get harder tomorrow," Flare said with a smile, as Raven's eyes widened.

_The Next Day:_

The Ninja resumed their training of their Full Potentials, and Lloyd was able to train with others as well. Lucy was training with Sensei Reine, and Raven was training with Flare until Flare had to practice using her Full Potential.

The training regiment of the Full Potentials would be for the Ninja to summon their Full Potentials and to maintain it for five minutes, and during that time each Ninja would have the chance to spar with Lloyd. This training not only helped the Ninja in mastering their Full Potentials, but also to help Lloyd in honing his skills.

Raven and Flare were doing well in their training. Raven was mastering her techniques in various shadow skills and attacks. She was also learning how to sense in farther ranges, that even impressed Flare.

"Man, Raven, you can sense pretty far. Even further than when I first learned how to. Your doing great so far," Flare complemented, and Raven smiled and nodded.

"Thank you Flare," Raven said.

"Okay, now sit down and relax for this next part," Flare said, and Raven nodded, as she sat down and held her hands together with her eyes closed.

Then Flare said, "Okay, listen carefully now. Shadows are an extension of yourself in a darker and more flexible form. Not in the sense of 'evil' for being darker, but more direct and discreet. It's also similar to your imagination, in the sense that whatever you want it to do or become, it can become that if you can think of it. Just remember though, the powers of shadows can do a number of things and is flexible, but you have to be careful. It is susceptible to being used for good _and _for evil. Like any other power, with it comes a responsibility. You, being a user of shadows, have a responsibility to maintain and keep it in order and control. Don't lose sight of the light inside of you that creates the shadows. _You_ are in charge, not the shadows. They follow you. Remember that okay?"

"Okay," Raven said, as she concentrated on manipulating her own shadow.

Flare watched, as Raven's shadow began to glow dark gray, and then the eyes of the shadow opened to reveal purple, glowing eyes, as they looked towards Raven. Flare stood watching, as Raven's shadow stood up, and rose off of the floor. Raven's shadow stood in front of Raven, as she turned around towards Flare. Raven's shadow approached Flare at first with a menacing look in her eyes, as Flare held her scimitar handle. Then Raven's shadow suddenly turned towards Raven, and then she turned back to Flare with more kinder eyes. Flare nodded, as Raven's shadow bowed, and then she walked back towards Raven. Raven's shadow stood before Raven, as she bowed to her, and then sunk back into the ground, and became a normal shadow again. Raven opened her eyes, stood up, and then she turned towards Flare.

"Good job in keeping your shadow under control," Flare said, and Raven nodded.

"Yeah, we were able to talk for awhile, and then she agreed to letting me lead," Raven said, and Flare nodded.

"Good job Raven. Well... I've taught you a lot, and I feel your ready to move on," Flare said, and Raven gasped.

"You mean..." Raven said, and Flare finished,

"You passed your shadow exam. Now Christa can train you in sound."

"Yes!" Raven said happily.

"Finally!" Christa's voice was heard from a distance, as Flare and Raven looked around in confusion.

Then Christa descended from the skies, as she landed not too far from Flare and Raven, which surprised them.

"I can finally train you Raven. This is so awesome! I'm so excited to show you how to master sound," Christa said while she held Raven's hands and smiled.

"Ieeya! Christa, give her a minute! She just finished training with me, start tomorrow!" Flare said.

"-Sign- Fine," Christa said, as she released Raven's hands and added, "Well, we can start training tomorrow."

Raven nodded and said, "Yeah, let's start tomorrow. I want to rest for awhile."

Christa nodded, and then the three girls headed towards the center city, since they were in the training grounds. However, Pythor was not too far off in his invisible form, as he turned back to being opaque.

"Raven's powers are more flexible and manipulative than Lloyd's. That's something to take into consideration," Pythor said out loud, as he chuckled and became invisible again.

However, Pythor didn't realize that Raven was able to sense him, even though he was invisible, and she just looked back with her eyes in suspicion of him.

**Raven has completed her Shadow Training, but she is aware that she is being watched. What will she do...**

**Also, I was wondering, does anyone want an 'Ask Us' thing? Like you ask the characters questions and they'll answer it? If enough people want that, then I don't mind doing it.**


	65. Chapter 65 Dark Ninjago City

"Father! I have news," Zane said, as he ran towards Dr. Julien, who was in the center of Ouroborus with Marcell, looking over the blue prints.

"Is it the Falcon?" Dr. Julien asked.

Zane nodded and said, "Yes. I just received a signal that he just made it to Ninjago city."

"Oh perfect. Let's gather everyone together so that we can see what's going on," Dr. Julien said with a smile, and Zane smiled back and nodded.

After everyone was gathered to the center of Ouroborus, Zane and Dr. Julien tried to think of a way to display whatever the Falcon was seeing through Zane's eyes.

"I can assist," Auria said, as she stood next to Zane.

"How? We don't have a screen, and we can't take out the computer system from the Bounty," Dr. Julien asked.

"Christa, Flare, the sheet," Auria said to the girls, as they nodded and quickly ran off.

"The sheet?" Jay asked.

"Wait for it," Auria said.

When Christa and Flare returned, Christa was holding a folded white sheet, while Flare was holding two long sticks.

"Where should we set up?" Flare asked.

"Right there," Auria said, as she pointed to an area in front of the audience of people.

Flare and Christa went right to work, as Flare stuck the sticks in the ground, while Christa jumped up and stomped them deeper into the ground to make them stable. Then Christa unwrapped the sheet, and she grabbed one corner while Flare grabbed the other. They stood balanced on one foot on each pole, and then they took out two little daggers from their pockets and stuck the sheet tips on the pole with said daggers. After the girls jumped down, they took two more daggers and stuck the bottom tips of the sheet on the bottom of the poles.

"Okay... and what is this for?" Cole asked.

"You'll see," Flare said, as she and Christa stood next to the others.

Auria stood in the front-middle of the crowd, and told Zane to stand next to her. Then she held onto Zane's arm, and she told him to use his Falcon vision.

"How will this be able to project-" Zane cut himself off when he realized what Auria was planning to do.

"Is there something we're missing here?" Kai asked.

Then Zane nodded towards Auria and used his Falcon vision. As he did so, Auria flipped a switch near the right side of her head, and the little blue lens flipped over her eyes. A small electric current passed from Zane's arm to Auria's hand, and when she looked towards the sheet, a projected image from the lens appeared on the sheet that showed the Falcon flying close to Ninjago city.

Everyone gasped.

"Whoa! That's amazing." -Jay

"Now that's cool." -Cole

"How did they do that?" -Nya

"What the?" -Marcell

"Wow! Awesome." -Lucy

"Now we can see the Falcon's travels through Ninjago city," Auria said with a smile.

"Genius! How you could have accomplished such a feat is astounding. How did you know that it would work?" Dr. Julien asked Auria.

"I didn't surely know, but I just thought that it would. I can project images or videos, and he can see them, so I thought that it would work if we worked together," Auria replied.

"Good thinking. It worked very well," Sensei Reine said, as they watched the Falcon flying above the city streets.

"Hey, what's that?" Cole asked, as he looked at where the Falcon was flying over.

"Is that one of those 'C' shaped machines that you and your people made Marcell?" Sensei Garmadon asked Marcell.

"Yes, it is. What is that thing doing in the middle of an intersection?" Marcell asked.

As the Falcon drew a little closer to the device, they saw that the area around it was dark and eery. The 'C' shaped machine was glowing white on the bottom, but then the light was sucked into the machine, as a dark substance was formed between the top tip of the 'C' to the bottom tip. Then a flash occurred there, as a creature jumped out from it unto the floor.

"Uh, what is that?!" Kai asked, freaked out by the little creature that was formed by the machine.

"But... but that machine had no power source or anything," Marcell said, looking at the functioning machine in surprise.

Then the little creature on the 'screen' lifted it's head higher up, as everyone was able to get a better look at the creature:

It had the head of a dragon with two horns on top that pulled back, and a thin snout with sharp teeth that overlapped around the chin. It had a small body, with little arms and big hands with sharp white claws, and sort-of-fat cylinder-like legs with sharp white claws on them as well. The tail was long enough to reach the floor with white spikes going from the tip of the tail, up to the back of the creature's neck. It also had two horns coming from sides of it's chin, pulled back, and it had dragon wings on it's back that were closed. The creature was all black besides the white horns and claws, and there was a red band of scales around it's white-with-black-slit eyes that went around it's head.

The creature lifted it's head higher, and screeched out into the skies, as it's wings opened up.

"What the heck is that thing?!" Flare asked, looking at the creature in disgust.

"It's like a mini dragon man," Christa said, with her hand under her chin.

Then the 'C' shaped machine activated again, and after another flash, another red-eyed creature jumped out.

"That machine is being used to create those things," Misako said.

"Tell the Falcon to look around for more of those creatures," Sensei Wu told Zane, and he nodded.

The Falcon continued flying along, and then everyone was able to get a better look at Ninjago city:

The streets were mostly empty, besides the few people who would run away and hide. The skies were dark, with dark purple clouds and a black, misty sky. Most of the buildings in Ninjago city were broken and burnt on the corners, and on various parts around them. There were those red-eyed creatures walking around the streets in groups like an army, and some were flying around the buildings.

There were other creatures that were similar to the red-eyed ones, but they were various types:

One other type of creature had a blue band of scales around the eyes, and a much wider mouth than the red-eyed one. It had very tiny wings, and it's body was double the size of the red eyed one, but it's inside was actually hollow. The Ninja crew witnessed the blue-eyed creature eat a large wooden barrel, and it's belly expanded out to hold the barrel inside, which made it a little shorter, and there were slits in it's belly like if it was a cage.

Another type of creature had a green band of scales around the eyes, and a smaller mouth than the blue-eyed one, but bigger than the red-eyed one. It had no wings, but it's claws were more hook shaped for climbing, and it's back legs were more like a T-Rex for running. It's tail was long like the red-eyed one, but it's teeth were thinner and there were less of them then the red-eyed ones.

The next type of creature had a yellow band of scales around the eyes, and a smaller mouth than the red eyed ones. It had wings, but not for flying, they just stay closed on it's back. The claws were also hooked like the green-eyed, and it's body was smaller than the others. It's tail was double the size in length of the green- and red-eyed ones, and it had four thin fangs that just reached over it's chin.

This next type of creature had an orange band of scales around the eyes, and a bigger mouth than the yellow-eyed, but smaller than the red eyed. It had broader wings than the red-eyed ones, but it's body was half the size of the red-eyed ones. It only had two thin fangs that reached it's chin, and it's claws were thin and a little longer than the other creatures. It also had a smaller and thinner tail, and it had two extra little horns on it's head.

The next typed of creature spotted had a purple band of scales around it's eyes, and the same sized mouth as the orange-eyed ones. It seemed to be telling the others what to do. It's wings were mostly closed like the yellow eyed ones, and it's claws were not so long, but they were hooked. It's tail was pretty long to the floor, and it was the same size as a red-eyed ones. It had four more horns on it's head like a crown, and it had thin teeth like the green-eyed one, but one set of the bottom teeth went just above it's nose on the sides of it's mouth.

As the Falcon looked at each of these groups of creatures, it was noticed that the number of creatures from largest to smallest was as follows: red-eyed, blue-eyed, orange-eyed, green-eyed, yellow-eyed, and purple-eyed. They were wondering around the city streets and a few rooftops, as the Falcon saw two other 'C' shaped machines releasing yellow- and green-eyed creatures.

"Those machines are creating an army," Lucy said.

"An army of beasts," Flare said.

"They took over Ninjago city," Cole said.

"How did this happen?" Kai asked.

"We left the city unprotected... it was our error," Sensei Wu said, sadly, as the ninja and kunoichi looked down sadly.

"We can't dwell on that thought. We have to focus more on reclaiming the city again," Sensei Garmadon said.

"He's right. What's done is done. We must learn from our mistakes so that we can make better decisions in the future," King Terrin said, as everyone continued to look at the projection of Dark Ninjago City.

**Hence the title of this chapter being Dark Ninjago City. But it's not over yet...**


	66. Chapter 66 First Catch

Then they saw the creatures gathering around near the center of the city. As the Falcon flew higher to see where the creatures were going, they saw a large dark tower, with dark purple and black clouds that covered the top of it. The tower was cylinder-shaped and very wide, with white and red spikes protruding in vertical lines from the top to the bottom on four different sides of it. The tower itself was black, with gray smoke leaking out from five evenly-spaced, horizontal cuts around the tower. There was one large balcony near the top of the tower, not covered by clouds, with big, black double doors with silver outlining. There was another set of the same double doors on the bottom of the tower, which served as the entrance. Around the ground of the tower, besides in front of the entrance doors, was a hedge of gray spiked plants like barbed wire, and red buds that were yet to bloom. As the creatures continued gathering near the front of the tower, while the flying ones flew around it, a distinguished laugh was heard from the tower.

"T-That laugh…" Kai said, as he seemingly became pale.

"That's Darkness," Flare said, with slight coldness.

"He… He's taken over," Christa said, sadly.

"Not for long," Auria said in a low voice.

"How could we let this happen? We shouldn't have left the city alone. The people couldn't fend for themselves against him," Lloyd said in distraught.

"We didn't see any of this coming Lloyd. Darkness is very cunning and clever, but I'm sure we'll find a way," Misako said to reassure her son's confidence.

Then a beeping was heard, and before anyone could question it, the Falcon was screeching out as someone or something grabbed it. The Ninja crew were wondering what was going on since they couldn't see clearly on the projection.

"What's going on?!" Cole asked.

"Did one of those flying things catch him?" Lucy asked in worry.

Then the Falcon's vision came back into focus as they saw who grabbed him.

"KERRIE!" The whole Ninja crew cried out, when they saw the crystal-user appear on the projection.

She was holding the Falcon by his back, while it could be seen that she was using her crystal power to tie him up.

"Well welly well. A little bird-y got lost? Heh heh heh heh. Aw, how inconvenient for you," Kerrie said with mischief in her eyes and a grim smile.

"Oh no!" Nya said in worry.

"This is bad. This is really bad! If she finds out that the Falcon is with us, she might track us," Jay said.

"Or she might hurt him!" Dr. Julien said in worry.

Then Kerrie looked down to her bird that she was riding and said,

"Are you hungry boy? I have a little bird-y for you."

Her bird twisted his head towards his master, and looked at the Falcon.

"Oh the horror!" Someone yelled out from the crowd among the Ninja crew.

However, Kerrie's bird started to sniff the Falcon and look at him carefully, and then he turned around and spat.

"What? You don't want it? … Wait a minute," Kerrie said, as she looked at the Falcon carefully.

Then she noticed what looked like a square mark around the Falcon's torso. When she tapped that spot, she noticed that it was very hard and made a light echo. Kerrie's eyes widened from her discovery, and then a devious smile grew on her face with evil-intent in her eyes.

"Your not just any bird. You belong to the Ninja! Your that robotic bird that they have on their team. I remember hearing of you from Darkness," Kerrie said, as she pointed towards the Falcon.

"How did Darkness know about the Falcon?" Jay asked.

"He has a lot of resources at his disposable, maybe someone saw the Falcon with us and told him," Misako said.

Marcell looked away sadly, as Lucy turned towards her. Then Lucy thought about something, and her eyes widened in shock.

"M-Marcell, did y-you tell him?" Lucy asked.

The Ninja crew looked towards Marcell, and then she looked towards them and said,

"When I was first looking for Raven, I remember seeing the Falcon with Zane, as he gave him a letter and sent him off. I told Silva about him, and she said that she would 'take it into account.' That must have meant that she was going to tell Darkness."

Marcell looked down in shame, as the others gasped. Then Sensei Wu approached Marcell and said,

"It is not your fault Marcell. You didn't intend for this to happen."

Marcell nodded slowly towards Sensei Wu. Then Kerrie laughed on the projection and said,

"Well if the Ninja are watching this, I'd like to say congratulations! Now you see what's going on here in Ninjago city, and now I get to track where you are. Of course, your little Falcon doesn't have to be active for me to do so..."

Kerrie smiled with malicious intent, as she raised her other hand, and a crystal dagger was formed in it.

"NO!" Zane yelled out in anticipation of Kerrie's next action.

Then Kerrie moved her hand with the dagger back, and then she thrust the dagger towards the Falcon. Static was seen on the screen as a loud screech and an evil laugh were the last things heard. Auria and Zane both fell back after the impact of the blow.

"No. Not again... Falcon," Zane said with sadness, as he barely had the strength to stand.

Auria moved next to Zane and wrapped her arm around his shoulders and said,

"I'm very sorry Zane."

Zane was pretty distraught at this point, as he placed his hand on his face and closed his eyes.

"Alright everyone! Get your stuff, get everything you need and let's GO! We're leaving TODAY!" Marcell shouted out, and then the Vampires, Serpentine, and Viporeons shattered out to gather the remainder of their stuff.

"Today?" Lucy asked her sister.

"Today! Kerrie said she was going to track where we were, and I'm pretty sure she's going to let Darkness know. We have to leave now to get a head start," Marcell said.

"Then let's get ready to depart, everyone!" Terrin said, as he walked towards where the Bounty was supposed to be.

As the Ninja crew followed Terrin to the Bounty, Auria stood next to Zane, holding his hand as he held onto her hand, sadly. The ninja and kunoichi were very concerned about Zane, but they felt it was better to leave him alone for awhile. Christa was also concerned, yet she indeed noticed how concerned her sister was for him, which left her with suspicion.

"Zane. It'll be alright. We'll find him again," Dr. Julien said, and Zane looked towards his father with a half-heart smile.

"I understand father, but... I don't think his condition will be totally reversible," Zane said sadly, as he looked down.

Dr. Julien also downcast his eyes, sadly.

After everyone gathered their belongings and vehicles for carrying stuff, the Ninja Crew, Vampires, Serpentine, and Viporeons headed out towards Aeroplane until they could figure out what to do.

"For now we'll head towards Aeroplane to discuss further plans on how to reclaim Ninjago city. We'll at least gather near Mount Soaria. We wouldn't want to endanger the people of Aeroplane if we're actually there," Sensei Reine said to the Ninja crew, who were gathered around the Bounty's deck.

Each person agreed, and then Sensei Reine retreated inside the Bounty, along with King Terrin. Everyone else cleared the deck, besides Raven, Christa, Lucy, and Lloyd, since Lucy and Raven were continuing their training. The rest of the ninja and kunoichi went to the television room in the Bounty to relax, since they were going to trade shifts with the Viporeons soon, so that they could rest from walking.

_In the television room: _

"This isn't right! That Kerrie! She's so messed up!" Jay said angrily, as he was pacing on one side of the room.

"I know man. She's just evil," Kai said, while sitting in the middle of the sofa.

"I knew something was weird about her, but I didn't think she was this bad. She's a good liar," Flare said, sitting next to Kai.

"If I only would've remembered sooner, than we could have apprehended her beforehand," Auria said, while leaning against the wall, looking down.

"Don't blame yourself Auria. You had no control over that," Nya said, sitting on the other side of Kai.

"Yeah, it's no one's fault about Kerrie being evil but Kerrie herself at this point. We have to be strong and keep moving ahead, so that if she tries to hurt anyone again, then we'll be there to take her down," Cole said, while standing near the sofa.

Zane was sitting near the edge of the sofa, looking down, but when he heard everyone else speaking, he was able to look up and feel more encouraged. He looked towards Auria, and saw that she still showed some distress. Then he stood up and walked towards her, and she looked up at him.

"Auria. Do not feel guilty for what happened to Falcon. What our friends say is true. Kerrie is the evil one, and we had no control over what she did to him... but we can still make a difference if we stand together and continue to fight in situations that we _can_ control," Zane said.

Auria looked towards Zane with some surprise, and then she softly smiled and nodded.

"Yes. I agree. It's not over yet," Auria said, and Zane nodded.

The other Ninja and Samurai smiled and nodded too.

**Falcon noooo! **


	67. Chapter 67 Evincible

On the Bounty's deck:

"Okay Raven, lesson one in Sound. It is an extension of waves and vibrations that can be felt and mostly sensed by the ears. Sound can either be pleasant or painful or somewhere in between. There is a very wide range of various sounds that exist, and you can detect the highest frequency to the lowest, from the loudest to the lowest, and from the roughest to the softest, and etc. Sound can be altered in various ways to create new sounds, which could help you in a lot of ways if you put your mind to it. Also, with sound flexibility, comes sound possibility. As sound waves can travel anywhere, through almost anything, and for miles, so can your power over it... and even you," Christa said, as Raven sat on the floor in front of her, listening intently.

"How can I do that?" Raven asked, with her hand up.

"Well, let me tell you," Christa said and continued, "When you start to master using Sound, you'll be able to do awesome things like being able to send a message to other people by creating a sound wave that carries your message to someone, or by being able to travel through certain walls, like so..."

Christa took a moment to concentrate, as her physical body became translucent and pulsing, and then she faded through the floor. Raven looked on in surprise, and then Christa came up from the ground and returned back to normal.

"That's pretty advanced, but I'm sure you'll be able to get it eventually," Christa said with a smile.

"What if you get stuck halfway?" Raven asked.

"Well, the wall will explode from the sound since it will violently disperse from you if you happen to lose control of it. So you don't have to worry about being trapped in a wall, but the wall will have to be worried about you," Christa replied.

"So, if I happen to lose control at any moment of regular training, will the sound disperse violently?" Raven asked.

"Yup. But I'm sure you'll get it. After all, you've trained with Auria and Flare in how to control Wind and Shadow, so you should be fine with Sound," Christa said with a smile, and Raven nodded.

"Sound sounds interesting," Lucy said with her eyes closed, as she stood on one side of the deck, training by controlling the water that was in a few large brown vases around her.

"Mmhm." -Christa

"Hehe. Yeah, it is." -Raven

"Okay, let's get started," Christa said, as she clapped her hands together, and Raven stood up.

Raven learned how to use sound waves to attack in short bursts from her hands, and longer bursts that reach further. She also learned how to use a sound shield and keep it steady so that she could use it longer or make it stronger.

During Raven's training, Lloyd stood near the bow of the ship on the tip of it, overlooking the trail they were taking through the desert, and occasionally watching over the girls on deck as they trained. He was calm and compose, as he stood in place, and let the wind carry his worries away, like how Auria instructed him to do when she was training Raven in using Wind.

Then Lloyd heard a voice: a sweet and silvery voice that filled the air around him, as he turned towards the source. He saw that Raven stood with her hands together, as she sang in random harmony while sound waves circled around her in various colors that changed along with her pitch and volume. Lloyd was almost mesmerized by Raven's singing, as he started walking slowly towards her.

Christa was watching Raven, as she sang and was controlling the sound waves with her voice. She noticed that Lloyd was slowly approaching Raven, and she smiled.

As Raven finished singing, she looked towards Christa, and she nodded towards her. Then Raven felt someone was close to her, as she turned to see Lloyd standing two feet away from her with a smile on his face. Raven blushed, as she looked away from him with a little smile on her face. Lloyd walked closer to Raven, and said,

"That was really nice Raven. Your voice is beautiful."

Raven turned towards Lloyd, still blushing, and said,

"T-Thank you Lloyd. I almost forgot that you were close by."

Lloyd placed his hand gently on Raven's cheek and said,

"I'll always be close to you."

Raven smiled and held Lloyd's hand that stood on her cheek, and he smiled back.

Then Raven felt a presence on the Bounty's deck as she turned her head away really quick.

"What is it?" Lloyd asked, concerned.

Raven looked towards an empty side of the deck, as she shot a water pistol from her hand towards that direction.

"AHH HA HA!" A voice yelped, when the water hit an invisible target.

"What the?" Lucy said, startled as she opened her eyes after she heard the yelp.

"Reveal yourself," Christa ordered, as she held one of her platinum gauntlets in her hand.

"Please cease your hostility. I mean no harm," the invisible serpent said, revealing himself to be Pythor.

"What are you doing here Mr. Chumsworth?" Christa asked.

"Please, just call me Pythor, and I was only taking an early break from walking," Pythor replied, as he tried to shake the water off of himself like a dog.

Lloyd started walking towards Pythor with a stoic expression that slowly became annoyed, as Pythor took notice of him.

"Oh, hello dear boy. Don't mind me. As I said, I was taking an early break," Pythor said with a sly smile, and Lloyd stopped walking towards him and said,

"I'll let you go for now, but you'd better stay visible, for your own sake."

Pythor nodded and said, "Sure, sure thing my boy. I wouldn't want to trouble you any further."

As Pythor turned to go, he made a quick glance towards Raven, who looked towards him, suspiciously. Then Pythor chuckled, as he jumped off the Bounty, since it was flying close to the ground, and he landed in the sand pretty well, as he continued along with the others in walking.

Lloyd turned back towards Raven after Pythor left, and Raven looked towards him. He smiled at her, and she smiled back at him.

"Okay, let's take a break. We'll continue training later," Christa said with a bright smile, and Raven nodded towards her.

Then Christa turned towards Lucy and asked, "Are you taking a break?"

"In a few minutes," Lucy replied, as she closed her eyes and continued training.

"Lloyd, we need you downstairs," Misako called, as she stepped outside on the Bounty's deck.

"Coming mom," Lloyd said, as he started walking towards his mother, but he looked towards Raven with a loving smile, as she looked towards him with the same smile.

Christa went ahead into the Bounty, and Lucy noticed the exchange between Lloyd and Raven, and she smiled at the cuteness. After Lloyd entered the Bounty with Misako, Lucy looked towards Raven and said,

"Awww, your both so cute and in love."

Raven blushed and smiled, as she said, "Oh um, yes, w-we are. Thank you."

Lucy smiled, and then she twisted the water around her faster, as she sent the water back into one of the vases.

"So, wanna sit and talk?" Lucy asked, and Raven nodded.

Both girls stood sitting on the railing of the upper deck, as they talked about whatever they felt like, and then Lucy mentioned Lloyd.

"So Raven, you really love Lloyd?" Lucy asked.

"Yes. Very much," Raven replied with a nod.

"That's so nice..." Lucy said, and then she became silent as she thought of something.

"What's the matter Lucy?" Raven asked.

"It's just... you and Lloyd admitted your love for each other, and I still haven't for..." Lucy trailed off.

"For who?" Raven asked.

"Well, for Ryan," Lucy replied.

Raven gasped, as she put her hand to her mouth. The last time Raven saw Ryan was in Fountain Falls when he tried to kidnap her, and before that Ryan told Raven that he was fond of her. Raven couldn't speak since she was shocked, and then Lucy said,

"I remember when I first met Ryan when he was younger. He was quiet, nice, but usually isolated, although he didn't mind my company when we would hang out. After awhile, he became more open and he wouldn't mind talking to me or to other people too, although he still preferred to take some time to be alone. Then when I went back to traveling with Marcell and the other vampires, we would write letters to each other to keep in touch. After a few years, I went to visit him and Silva, and he was older of course... that's when something in my chest just flipped and... I fell in love with him. But I kept my composure though, I didn't want to make things weird between us since we've been best friends for so long... then Darkness came in the picture."

Raven put her hand down, as she looked towards Lucy questionably.

"What happened with Darkness?" Raven asked.

Then Lucy replied, "Well, Silva and Ryan went to work with Darkness, and then Marcell was hired by Silva, and then I was tricked to stay at the tower as a prisoner. Ryan would visit me pretty often when he could, and then one day he came in kind of annoyed. I asked him what was wrong, and he told me that Darkness gave him a mission that he wasn't happy about at all."

"What was the mission?" Raven asked, and Lucy replied,

"Ryan told me that Darkness wanted him to catch a girl for him, and that he wanted Ryan to pretend that he loved her so that he could lure her away from her guardians. Ryan didn't want to do the mission because he felt it to be very dishonest and deceiving. I told Ryan that he shouldn't do it, but then Ryan said that Darkness told him that if he didn't try, then Silva would have to fight the guardians, and that she might get hurt. So Ryan agreed to do it, although he didn't want to, especially since he didn't like the girl like that. I have to admit, I was just as upset about it as Ryan, especially since I loved him, but I told him that he should do what was best. After Ryan left, I only saw him one more time, and he seemed better because he told me that the girl loved someone else, and that made him feel better to know that she rejected him, otherwise he would have had to break her heart. Then Ryan left... and I haven't seen him since then."

Lucy looked away sadly, as Raven looked at her in pure shock.

"S-So Ryan isn't actually fond of me, he had to pretend... thank goodness," Raven said in relief.

Lucy looked towards Raven with wide eyes in surprise, as Raven's eyes widened to what she just said.

_'I just said that out loud... Oh gosh_,' Raven thought, as she stood looking at Lucy, nervously.

Lucy looked away, and then she looked back at Raven and said,

"So, it was you... Hahaha! Oh my gosh! DUH! Who else was Darkness looking for? Hahahahaha!"

As Lucy laughed, Raven arched an eyebrow, and then she started to laugh too.

Then they both calmed down, and Raven asked, "Are you mad Lucy?"

Lucy replied, "Mad? No, I'm not mad at you. Everything worked out pretty well... of course..."

Lucy looked at Raven with an arched eyebrow and asked, "You don't love Ryan right?"

Raven shook her head and said, "No no, I don't. I love my Lloyd."

Raven blushed a bright red when she heard herself say 'my Lloyd.' Lucy looked at her in surprise and then with a smile, as she laughed a little and said,

"Okay okay. Then we're cool."

Raven nodded, and then both girls looked out and saw that the sun was going to set soon.

**I decided to post this chapter a little sooner. The next chapter might come sooner too, but I'm not sure yet, unless you guys want to read more, I got some freshly baked chapters here. :)**


	68. Chapter 68 Fight me

The next day, after camping out, the Ninja Crew, Vampires, Serpentine, and Viporeons continued their journey across the desert. The Ninja stood on the Bounty's deck, as they continued training with their Full Potentials. Raven and Christa continued Sound training in the main control room, while Lucy continued her Water training on top of the upper deck house with Sensei Reine.

"Okay everyone, let's do two at a time. Who wishes to go first?" Sensei Garmadon asked the Ninja.

"I will," Flare said, as she took a confident step forward.

"Alright. Then who's second?" Sensei Garmadon asked.

"I'll go," Kai said, as he took a step forward.

Flare looked towards Kai with an arched eyebrow, as he looked towards her and winked. Flare looked away from Kai, but then she looked back towards him after he looked forward, and smiled.

"Alright. Then let's begin. Summon forth your Full Potentials and then you two can begin sparring," Sensei Garmadon said.

Kai and Flare nodded, and then they held their hands together, as they started to glow in their respective color. Kai's body was encased in flames, and then it stopped as he was revealed to be in his Full Potential form. Flare's body was covered in layers of shadows, and then she was revealed to be in her Full Potential form. Both ninja turned towards one another, bowed, and then they stood in fighting stances. The other Ninja and Senseis backed away so that the spar can commence.

_Upper Deck:_

"Good job Lucy, your doing well," Sensei Reine said, as she watched Lucy surfing on the water staff, just above where she stood.

"Thank you Sensei!" Lucy said happily, as she did a barrel roll to the right and then to the left.

"Very nice," Sensei Reine said with a smile.

Then Lucy descended close to Sensei Reine.

"NinjaGOOO!" Lucy said, as she spun in a cyan-colored tornado, and landed near Sensei Reine.

"Your spinjitzu has greatly improved," Sensei Reine commented.

"I have Sensei Wu and you to thank for that," Lucy said happily, and she bowed towards Sensei Reine.

"Your very welcome Lucy. You can take a break now," Sensei Reine said, and Lucy nodded.

Then she ran and jumped off the side of the Bounty, as she surfed on her water staff, towards where Marcell's vehicle was.

"Hey sis! I'm here!" Lucy called out, and Marcell looked towards her with black sunglasses on in her open-roofed, all-black monster-truck.

"Hop in!" Marcell said, and Lucy flipped into the passenger seat next to her.

Sensei Reine looked towards where Lucy went, and she just smiled and shook her head.

BAM!

Reine heard a loud noise, as she jumped down from the top of the roof to the upper deck floor, and looked to see where the sound came from.

_Lower Deck:_

Kai and Flare stood on opposite ends of the Bounty, while a trail of fire and shadow-mist stood between them when they skidded back from an earlier attack. They were breathing heavily from the series of combos and attacks during their battle and the final attack, which was Kai charging blue fire around his hands and arms and Flare charging dark gray shadows around her arms and hands, as they flew towards one another just above the ground. The impact of the attack was immense, but they canceled each other out, as Flare and Kai skidded back.

They stood in a stare down for awhile, while the others watched in amazement and anticipation.

Then Kai shot a red fire wave towards Flare, as she dived into the floor and became a shadow to avoid the attack. When Flare popped back up, her fists were charged with black shadows, however, Kai was no longer around. She was surprised for a moment, but she quickly looked around for the Fire ninja. Then Flare felt a burning presence above her, and she quickly looked up to see Kai descending towards her with red fire in his hands. Flare quickly picked up both of her hands, and sharp, shadow vines thrust towards Kai from her hands. However, right before the vines touched him, Kai dispersed in a mist of flames, that continued past where Flare was. Flare was shocked by Kai's maneuver, as well as the other Ninja and Senseis. After the vines retracted back and disappeared, Flare quickly turned around, but she was caught by Kai, who quickly grabbed her with one arm around her waist while his other red-fired hand stood near her neck.

The Ninja gasped, as the Senseis looked on with widened eyes. Flare looked into Kai's eyes with surprise and amazement, as Kai looked into her eyes with a delicate fierceness that nearly took her breath away. Then his eyes softened, as he straightened up and removed his hand from Flare's neck and his arm from her waist. Then they both dismissed their Full Potential forms and turned back to normal. They both looked towards one another, and Kai smirked and said,

"I guess I finally won, huh Flare?"

Flare looked towards him in slight annoyance, but then she smirked and said,

"Yeah. You got me this time fire guy."

Kai snickered as he walked closer to Flare, until their faces were only a few inches apart, and said,

"I guess we're even, shadow lady."

Flare smiled at Kai, as he smiled back, and she nodded and said,

"Yeah. We're even."

"Alright, alright, make room you two. I go next," Jay said excitedly, as Kai and Flare looked towards him a bit annoyed since he interrupted their moment.

"Yes. -Eh hem- Let's begin the next round," Sensei Garmadon said, and Kai and Flare walked next to the others.

Jay stood in the middle of the deck and asked, "So, who wants to verse me, huh?"

"It should be someone who would be able to fight you on more 'even ground,'" Sensei Wu said.

"What do you mean 'even ground?'" Jay asked.

Yet, before Sensei Wu could answer, Jay heard footsteps not too far from him, and when he turned and looked, he saw that Auria was the one who stepped up.

"He means that since your element keeps you above the ground, then you should fight someone who's element also keeps them above the ground," Auria said, as she bowed respectfully.

Jay was bewildered and said, "WH-WHAT?! WE'RE FIGHTING?! Oh gosh, Oh GOSH! Um, okay okay. -Eh hem- Then let's get started, uh, unless you don't want to Auria. I mean, I know your pretty much one of the strongest since you fought with Lloyd before and you two ended in a draw-"

"Can you just FIGHT ALREADY!" Flare yelled out, and Jay composed himself, as he bowed respectfully towards Auria.

The other Ninja chuckled, as Flare just shook her head with a smile. Then Auria and Jay turned into their Full Potential forms, and they began their dual.

Meanwhile, in the Bounty's main control room, Christa and Raven were continuing training in sound.

"Try to sense the vibrations and make out what is being said or heard. You can do so by hearing the various frequencies and making out what their saying by manipulating the sound to hear it better or by making your hearing more sensitive. Try it out and see if you can hear what's going on outside," Christa said, as she stood sitting at the end of the table, playing solitaire.

"Okay," Raven said, as she closed her eyes to focus.

She could hear faint sounds coming from outside of the Bounty, but not too well. So Raven concentrated sound power into her right hand and placed that hand next to her right ear. She enhanced her hearing, and she was able to hear the other Ninja outside. Raven heard pounding sounds and slices, which she was able to distinguish were attacking sounds, so she guessed that their training had started. She heard the other Ninja 'Oooh-ing' and Aaah-ing,' and even when they gasped as they watched the fight. Raven then enhanced her hearing more, and she could hear the vehicles just outside the Bounty driving, and a few voices. She concentrated further, and she was able to hear Marcell and Lucy's voices, talking about fried chicken and fish. Then Raven turned her attention to another pair of voices, and she could hear some Viporeons she recognized talking to some Serpentine, and they were talking about their favorite music. Raven smiled a bit, and then she moved her hand away from her ear.

"So, you heard something?" Christa asked, still playing the game.

"Yes. I can hear what's going on outside. Even where the Viporeons, Serpentine, and Vampires are," Raven replied.

Christa looked up at Raven with a smile and said, "That's great! Your really getting it huh?"

Raven nodded, and then Christa finally completed her game.

"Now you just need to practice, and then it will become more automatic, so that you won't have to concentrate sound from your hand to your ear. It'll become natural to your ears, like switching from normal to more sensitive in an instant," Christa said, and Raven smiled and nodded.

Then they heard footsteps, and turned towards the door entrance to see Cole.

"Hey ladies. I don't mean to interrupt, but it's time to train your Full Potential Christa," Cole said.

"Oh! It's my turn already?" Christa said as she stood up.

"Yeah, the others finished their training for now, so it's us next," Cole said with a nervous smile, and Christa nodded.

Then Christa turned to Raven and said, "Keep practicing in hearing. It'll help you gain more control, and quicker reactions."

Raven nodded, and continued to practice, as Christa walked out of the room with Cole.

As they walked through the hall, Christa asked,

"So, it's our turn now right?"

"Yeah. We're the last two, so we have to spar," Cole said, not very pleased in having to fight Christa since he didn't want to hurt her or anything.

"You don't seem very enthusiastic," Christa said, kind of disappointed since she thought that Cole had a problem sparring with her.

Cole noticed this, and he turned towards Christa and said, "Oh no no no, Christa. It's not that I wouldn't want to spare with you, it's fun to fight an equal match, but... I wouldn't want to accidentally hurt you."

Christa's eyes lit up, and then she softly smiled, as she reached her hand and placed it on Cole's shoulder, and then they both stopped walking.

"Aw, your so sweet Cole. Thank you," Christa said, with a smile still on her face.

Cole rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed smile and said, "Heh heh, anything for you Christa."

Cole froze for a moment, and Christa looked at him with an arched eyebrow. Then Cole face palmed and said,

"Ugh... now I'm acting like Jay."

Christa giggled and then she said, "Well, it's cute."

Cole smiled at Christa, and she smiled back. Then, as they continued walking down the hall, Christa thought about something which made her chest tighten. Then Christa said,

"Cole... fight me."

Cole looked towards Christa with some confusion and said, "Well we _are_ going to practice in a few minutes-"

"No. I want you to fight me for real. Not just practice or going easy on one another," Christa said as she stopped walking, which made Cole stop walking too.

Then Christa walked closer to Cole, as they stood a few inches apart, with determination in her eyes, as he listened intently. Then Christa said,

"Fight me with all you've got Cole. I understand if you wouldn't want to hurt me, and I wouldn't want to hurt you either... but if we're going to get stronger and protect those we love and cherish, then we'll have to fight with all we've got and improve our skills. Now is the time for us to do this, especially because... who knows if there will _be_ a next time."

Cole's eyes widened in understanding, and Christa looked down. Then Cole raised his hand under Christa's chin, and raised her head up to look at him.

"Christa, don't think like that. This isn't the end. This is the beginning, and anything is possible. As long as if we stick together and stick with our friends and allies, we can overcome anything. Nothing will be too rough or too tough for us," Cole said, and Christa smiled and slightly nodded.

Then Cole moved his face closer to Christa's, as they were only an inch apart, and said,

"Your strong Christa. Stronger than you take credit for. I admire your strength, your courage, and your will to never quit."

Christa blushed a bit and said, "As I do for you Cole. I appreciate you and your encouragement. You've helped me so much when it came to opening up about my sister, unlocking my Full Potential, and even being confident that I have strength. Thank you."

Cole smiled and then he released Christa's chin gently, but she stood in place, as they were momentarily mesmerized by each others' eyes. However, they both backed up, and then they started walking down the hall, blushing, while holding hands.

As training ensued for the ninja and kunoichi, they were able to get the hang of controlling their elemental powers in Full Potential form. Raven and Lucy were also doing well in mastering their elements.

**Full Potentials are being controlled, and Raven and Lucy are getting stronger. Will it be enough? Hm... maybe!**


	69. Chapter 69 Campfire

After awhile of traveling through the desert, everyone decided to make camp for the night. The Vampires, Serpentine, and Viporeons stood together around the fire, and the Ninja stood on a higher sand dune next to them, but they were close enough to talk to one another.

"Are we any clossser to the foressst?" Serpana asked around the camp fire.

"We should be almost there. We might make it there sometime tomorrow," Christa replied.

"I can't wait to get out of this desert. Some solid ground would be nice to walk on," Luna said.

"I didn't think I would miss the cold," Andrex said, staying further from the camp fire.

"Well, we'll be out of here soon, so that's something to look forward to," Luna said.

"I have to admit, I did enjoy a more cooler climate in that cave than in Ouroborusss," Acidus said, referring to the cave where the Serpentine almost got trapped in.

The other Serpentine and Vampires agreed. Then Vena turned to Acidicus and said,

"You know. The Kingdom of Fountain Fallsss hasss very nice and cool weather occasionally. Maybe after all thissss, we can show you."

The Serpentine were surprised.

"You mean, you wouldn't mind showing ussss your kingdom?" Skales asked.

The Viporeon generals looked towards one another and nodded. Then Serpana turned towards the Serpentine generals and replied,

"You guyssss are much different than when we lassst saw each other, and we've decided to give you guysss a chance."

The Serpentine were delighted to know that the Viporeons accepted them, and the Viporeons were happy to be at peace with the Serpentine. They all started to clap and cheer, and even the Vampires did as well.

"HEY! QUIET! Do you want someone to find us? Especially DARKNESS?!" Marcell shouted, and the cheering lowered to a whisper.

"I don't know Marcell, if we were found I don't think _their_ voices would have been the cause," Sensei Reine said with a smirk, and Marcell turned towards her with an annoyed expression.

"Well, we're okay though, and now the Serpentine and Viporeons are back together, so everything turned out great," Lucy said with a smile, and Sensei Reine and Marcell looked towards her and nodded.

"The fire's going out," Stephen said, gesturing towards the small flame.

"Kai!" Flare called the Fire ninja.

"I got it," Kai replied, as he shot a fire ball towards the center flame and it grew larger.

"Ooooh," the Vampires and Serpentine said, and some of them held sticks with marshmallows on them just above the flames.

"Ah, this is great," Jay said, as he laid back on his sleeping bag.

"Yeah, it's nicer out here at night," Chirsta said, as she too laid back.

"It's nice to take a break from training and stuff," Cole said after returning from roasting a few marshmallows.

"I hear that," Flare said, as Cole was passing everyone some of the roasted marshmallows.

"After this morning I think you would Flare," Kai said with a smirk, as Flare looked at him in annoyance.

"Oh! What happened? I wasn't listening at that time," Raven asked, sitting up.

"It was awesome. They were fighting with shadows and fire all around, and then they did an almost final attack, but then Kai did something and he ended up behind Flare, and it was so cool," Jay said, excitedly.

"Yeah, wait a minute, how did you do that Kai? You turned into a mist of fire or something," Cole asked.

"I don't know really. I just wanted to get behind her, and I did it," Kai said.

"Your actions reflected what you wanted to do in that moment. You acted on your element by trusting it and yourself. Very good Kai," Sensei Reine said.

"Ooohh," the ninja and kunoichi said as they looked towards Kai, besides Flare, who was annoyed.

"What's the matter Flare? A bit jealous?" Kai asked sort of smugly, and Flare shook her head with a smirk and said,

"No, not really. I'm only annoyed at being beaten, but trusting in my shadows and myself is something I can already do. How do you think I dodged your fire wave?"

Kai looked at Flare with a raised eyebrow, and Flare just chuckled and laid back.

"Cool. What happened in the second fight?" Raven asked.

"Don't say it!" Jay yelled out at the others.

"Huh?" Raven questioned.

"Let's just say he fought against Auria, and he got himself tangled up," Lloyd whispered to Raven, and she replied with "Oooh."

"Then what happened after that?" Raven asked.

"Zane and Lloyd fought, but then Zane's five minutes we're up so they couldn't continue," Violet replied.

"It was pretty extraordinary. You should have been there Raven," Dareth said.

"Maybe it's better she wasn't, especially since you were almost frozen solid Dareth," Nya said, and Dareth shook his head.

"Yah! Why did you remind me?" Dareth said, as he hugged himself and shivered.

The other Ninja started to laugh.

"What about your fight?" Raven asked Christa.

"No winner, it was a draw," Christa replied.

"Yeah. We both knocked each other out of our Full Potentials," Cole added, as he gave Christa and Raven each a marshmallow.

"Well, today's training was a success, and tomorrow you all will learn how to maintain your Full Potentials longer," Sensei Wu said, as he sipped some of his tea.

The Ninja nodded towards Sensei Wu, and then they looked towards one another and smiled.

"Yes. Now let's get some sleep. We still have more ground to cover tomorrow, and then we'll continue training," Sensei Garmadon said, and the Ninja agreed.

In the middle of the night, when everyone was asleep, one lone serpentine decided to wander around. He decided to turn invisible, as he slithered closer towards where the Ninja were camping. He saw that they were all asleep in their sleeping bags. Then he silently approached the Purple Kunoichi. He saw that she was sleeping soundly, as he turned back visible. A low mumble was heard, as Pythor quickly turned his head to see that Lloyd was still sleeping, although he seemed uncomfortable. Then Pythor turned his attention to Raven and thought,

'_To think that all of this happened because of this one girl's presence. I wonder if I could get out of this if I gave her over to Darkness… No! That would put me on the Ninja's most wanted list, and Lloyd would surely destroy me… but why is she so important? What does Darkness want to do with her? Does he want to steal her powers? Get rid of her? Make her join his side? Why her?_'

Pythor gently pulled the blanket that covered Raven's mouth just below her chin to get a better look at her face. Raven stirred a bit, but then she yawned and stood asleep. Pythor saw her fangs and her serpent tongue, which surprised him as he backed up a bit.

'_Fascinating. The child of a Black Mambian inherits the fangs and tongue. What else have you inherited dear child? Is it possible for you to turn into a full-form like your father?_' Pythor thought.

However, a hiss was heard, and Pythor quickly turned around to see Anaca standing not too far from him. He froze in place from Anaca's cold glare, and then she gestured for him to follow her. Pythor reluctantly agreed, as he followed Anaca outside of the camp site, behind the Bounty.

When they were far enough, Anaca turned towards Pythor and slapped him with her tail.

"How DARE you go near the princess like that! You don't EVER approach her or the king and queen unless you have permission from them! What were you trying to do?!" Anaca hissed in fury.

"I wasn't trying to harm the princess in any way. I was only curious as to why she iss a necessity to that blasted Darkness! Why would he want to capture her? What does she have that he wants? He was already looking for her before she became the Purple ninja, so there has to be something more that he's after," Pythor replied.

Anaca glared at Pythor, as he retracted his head back. Then she signed and said,

"Next time your curious, you better ask for permission, or you won't have a head next time."

"I understand," Pythor replied, rubbing the side of his face where Anaca had slapped him.

Anaca started slithering off, and then she turned to Pythor and said,

"Just know, Auria, Flare, and Christa were watching you the whole time. I took you out of there sso that they wouldn't have attacked you. That would have been a messy misunderstanding, especially if King Terrin would have gotten involved."

Pythor looked questionably at Anaca and asked, "What do you mean if 'King Terrin would have gotten involved'? I understand that he is her father."

Anaca replied, "Terrin is a great king and leader. He is also a loving husband and father. But Terrin has another side of him that… you wouldn't want to see."

On that note, Anaca slithered off, which left Pythor in a state of fear, question, and more curiosity, but he knew better this time.

'_I'll leave her be. For now…_' Pythor thought.

**I decided to post two chapter today, so the next one is up. Yay. **


	70. Chapter 70 It begins

The next day, the Ninja Crew, Vampires, and Verpentines (Viporeon and Serpentine) continued to travel across the desert on their vehicles. Then, in the distance, they saw green, and they hurried along their way. By noon, they finally reached the forest that would lead to Mount Soaria.

"We made it!" Christa called out, as she projected her voice so that everyone would hear her.

"Oh, finally!" Marcell yelled out, as they all continued driving into the forest.

When they made it to a clearing, everyone parked their vehicles and gathered together.

"Okay everyone, we finally made it to the forest of... uh... I think its just a forest but we made it. We'll be heading to Mount Soaria soon, so let's take an hour break," Marcell instructed, and everyone agreed and headed their own ways.

"Let's start your final test," Christa said to Raven, and she looked at her in surprise.

"The final test?!" Raven asked, and Christa nodded with a smile.

"Well what do you know? Your almost done," Flare said with a smile, as she ruffled Raven's hair.

Raven fixed up her hair, and Auria placed her hand on Raven's shoulder and said,

"I wish you the best on your test."

Raven looked at Auria and nodded confidently.

"Yeah! Kick some butt on your final test Raven," -Jay

"You can do it," -Cole

"We believe in you," -Zane

"You got this Raven." -Kai

Raven smiled, nodded, and said, "Thank you everyone. Thank you for everything. Your all the best."

The Ninja smiled back at Raven and nodded. Then Raven turned and saw Lloyd coming closer to her, as he smiled and placed his hand on her cheek, and she smiled back at him and held his hand.

"I know you'll pass," Lloyd said,

"Thank you Lloyd, and I will," Raven said.

Then Christa and Raven headed over to another forest clearing for the final test.

Sensei Reine called Lucy to train in another clearing as well. The Ninja decided to just hang out until the girls return from their training.

_Raven and Christa:_

"Focus on the vibrations, and concentrate them into your palms. Release the compacted sound when your in midair, and then concentrate natural sound to stay up," Christa instructed.

Raven nodded, and then she concentrated sound into her hands in multicolored forms. She jumped up and released the compacted sound from one hand downward, which lifted her up, and then from the other hand, which lifted her even higher. Raven was free-falling for a moment, and then she flipped and stepped down. A circular plane of sound appeared under Raven's foot, and she was able to bounce up. Then she made more circular planes under her feet, as she hopped around the area. At one point, Raven started running across a sound-formed wall, and then she bounced off and flipped as she landed on the ground, and the grass flattened out.

Raven looked up at Christa, and Christa looked at her with a stern expression. Then Christa stood in front of Raven, as she smiled and patted her shoulder and said,

"Well done Raven. You passed the final sound test. I'm very proud of you. Now you can go forth and experiment with the element of Sound."

Raven's eyes lit up, as she smiled brightly and said,

"Really? I can't-well, I _can_ believe it, it's just so overwhelming... I DID IT!"

Raven jumped up with her hands upward, and Christa laughed.

"Yup. Now you have all four elements at your disposal," Christa said, and Raven nodded.

"Oh, Oh! I have to tell the others!" Raven said excitedly, as she ran ahead, and Christa followed behind her.

_Lucy and Sensei Reine:_

"Excellent form Lucy," Sensei Reine said, as Lucy finished an awesome water combo against a tree that was in pieces before her.

Sensei Reine smiled and said, "You've done well Lucy. I am pleased to say that your training in Water is now complete."

Lucy looked towards Sensei Reine in surprise and asked, "Really? I finished?"

Then Sensei Reine replied, "For now you have. I have showed you everything you needed to know about using the Water element. You can now go and discover what else you can do on your own. It's been a pleasure being your Sensei for this time. Your a great student, and a fast learner too."

Lucy smiled, and then she sniffled as she hugged Sensei Reine and said,

"Thank you, and... you will always be my Sensei!"

Sensei Reine smiled softly, as she petted Lucy on her head, and said, "Your very sweet Lucy. Keep that with you, no matter what."

Lucy released Sensei Reine and nodded, and said, "I will Sensei Reine. Don't you worry."

Sensei Reine nodded, and then they started heading back towards where the others were.

"Sensei Reine, will I be able to improve my healing ability?" Lucy asked.

"I'm sure you will, and I think you can do more than heal regular wounds if you master it," Sensei Reine said, and Lucy nodded.

_First Clearing:_

"Guys! I did it!" Raven yelled out, as she ran towards the other Ninja.

"You really did it? Awesome," Nya said with a smile.

"Told ya you could do it," Kai said with a nod.

"Oh yeah Raven!" Jay said with a big smile.

"That's wonderful," Auria said with a smile and nod.

"Exemplary," Zane said with a nod.

"That's great to hear," Lloyd said with a smile, and Raven looked towards him with a smile and a blush.

"You've finally mastered your four elements Raven? That's great news," Dr. Julien said, as he approached the Ninja with a kind smile, and Raven nodded and smiled back.

"Guys, I did it!" Lucy yelled out, while running towards the Ninja.

"You completed your training too?" Violet asked, and Lucy nodded with a big smile.

"Cool," Cole said with a nod.

"That's awesome. You both finished at the same time," Jay said, as he gestured towards Raven and Lucy.

"That's great! Now we can eat," Dareth said, and everyone looked towards him questionably.

"Ah, so your trainings have been completed, well done," Sensei Wu said, as he and Sensei Garmadon approached the two kunoichi, and they nodded in reply.

"Good work girls, but Raven, your training isn't done yet," Sensei Garmadon said.

Raven looked at Sensei Garmadon questionably, and asked, "What do you mean?"

"There are more powers that you have inherited than the four elements you have mastered. Your own Purple ninja powers are your own unique powers. As Lloyd has his own powers and golden powers, so you too will possess your own powers and silver powers as well. Of course, you'll have to unlock your silver powers first," Sensei Garmadon explained.

"Wait, but for Raven to unlock her silver powers, Lucy needs to unlock her Full Potential," Flare said.

"That's right! I forgot..." Lucy said sheepishly, as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Don't worry though. I'm sure you'll be able to unlock your Full Potential in no time. And Raven, I'm sure you'll be able to use your silver powers soon too," Sensei Reine said, as she approached the Ninja with King Terrin.

"That's great," Christa said, and the others agreed.

Raven looked up at the sky, and Lloyd looked towards her and asked,

"What's up?"

Raven looked towards him with a smile and said, "I want to test all four of my elements, since I can use them now."

Lloyd nodded, and then Raven ran and jumped up in the air with sound as she used the wind to fly off.

"Where is she going?" Kai asked.

"And how did she do that?" Cole asked.

"She can fly!" Jay said, excitedly.

"That looked like sound and wind," Flare said, as she looked towards Auria and Christa.

"She's going to test out her four elements," Lloyd replied to Kai's question.

"I hope she doesn't get lost," Lucy said.

"Don't worry. She'll be able to find us since she has sound," Christa said.

"And she has shadows, so she can sense where we are too," Flare said.

As the Ninja continued talking to one another, Sensei Garmadon decided to take a walk in the forest alone.

_Raven: _

As Raven traveled just above the trees, she was using her wind power to move forward, her sound power to stay up, her water power to change direction, and her shadow power to speed up or slow down. She did flips, and turns, and grinds with her shadow and water powers, and she was able to travel high in the air and come down softly with her sound and wind powers.

After awhile, Raven was about to land in another forest clearing, and she felt the urge to spin. She used her spinjitzu in mid-air as she descended downward, and she stood just above the ground as a whirlwind of purple energy swirled around her. When she stopped spinning, Raven was floating just above the ground with purple energy enveloped around her hands in circular forms of purple light. She was amazed at the power she had, and she remembered when she used her purple power for the first time before.

Then Raven dismissed her purple power, and her feet touched the grassy ground.

"That was awesome," Raven whispered to herself, as she looked at her hands with a smile.

But then her smile immediately faded, when she heard a dark voice say,

"You've gotten the hang of it. Excellent work dear Raven."

Raven turned towards where the voice came from, and she saw Darkness emerge from behind some trees near the clearing.

**It begins...**


	71. Chapter 71 Fight

_Back with the others (Verpentine and Vampires):_

"Ssso what do you think about poissson applessss?" Tempura asked Skalidor.

"Eh, it'sss pretty cliché, but what about a poissson orange? No one would sssee that coming in a ssstory," Skalidor replied, and Tempura nodded.

"I do think that poissson grapesss would be better. Multiple targetsss," Serpana said.

"That sounds good, but a poison cherry tart would be even better," Andrex said.

"Technically, that's not a fruit," Luna said.

"Yeah, but who could resist a good pastry?" Andrex asked, and the other Verpentine and Vampires agreed.

As the Verpentine and Vampires stood talking to one another, Marcell stood on a large, mossy rock to watch over them. Pythor slithered next to the rock where Marcell stood on, and he said,

"You know, you don't have to watch over them all of the time. You should take this time to relax."

Marcell looked towards Pythor and said, "I know. But I want to make sure that they'll be okay."

"You've done enough watching over. I can take over for awhile if you'd like," Pythor said, and Marcell looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You? Being generous? That's a little too odd no?" Marcell asked, still with a raised brow, and an added smirk.

"I feel generous this morning," Pythor said, and he mumbled under his breath, "Especially after just surviving last night."

Marcell chuckled and waved her hand, as she turned around and said, "Fine, fine. Thank you very much dear. You have scales of gold."

Pythor chuckled in amusement, and watched as Marcell headed towards the others. Then he hopped up on the mossy rock, and stood looking out for the others.

'_It's quite interesting, how Marcell knows me so well. But it shouldn't be a surprise to me, since I know her fairly well-… Something's not right,_' Pythor thought, as he swiveled around and looked out towards the forest.

Then he heard a small rustle, and he barred his fangs towards where the noise came from. After a moment of silence, and a soft wind passed by, a pair of glowing eyes with a blue band around them appeared from behind the bushes. Pythor's eyes widened in surprise, as more pairs of glowing eyes with other colored bands around the eyes showed up. Pythor backed up a bit, when he saw the creatures slowly emerging from the forest.

"M-M-Marcell!" Pythor called out.

Then a voice echoed in the air of a sinister laughter, as the Verpentine, Vampires, and Marcell immediately stood up and looked around.

"There!" Bronze called out and pointed just above the trees where the creatures were coming from.

On the tip top of a tree near the center of where the creatures were coming from stood Kerrie with her arms crossed and a wide, devious grin on her face.

"You!" Marcell said in slight anger, as she recognized her face from the projection when the Falcon was destroyed by the evil woman.

Kerrie laughed and said, "Ah, hello Vampires, Serpentine, Viporeons. Nice day huh? Oh, and what's even nicer than to be beaten down by the Lizarians!"

Kerrie gestured to the Lizarians that continued to emerge from the forest, as they rivaled the number of Verpentine and Vampires.

"Now, shall we get this party started? Or should one of us make the first blow?" Kerrie asked with amusement, as she slapped her hands together.

Then Marcell swipped her hand where Kerrie was, and two small blue-handled daggers shot from Marcell's sleeve towards Kerrie. However. Kerrie was able to block the daggers with a crystal shield. She took down the shield when the daggers bounced off of the crystal and headed down to the floor.

"First strike. Now it's OUR TURN!" Kerrie exclaimed, as she jumped forward and slid on a crystal path she formed in front of her, as she moved through the air towards the group of Verpentine and Vampires.

"BRING IT!" Marcell also exclaimed, as she ran forward and pulled a retractable sword from her side pocket and it stretched out long and sharp.

The Verpentine and Vampires, as well as Pythor, ran towards the Lizarians to fight, as the Lizarians did the same towards them. Marcell led the Verpentine and Vampires, as Kerrie led the Lizarians in an awesome battle.

_Raven:_

"No," Raven said in surprise, as she backed up.

"Aw, don't hurt my feelings," Darkness said with a sly smile, as he was walking towards Raven.

Raven was backing up, but then she realized that she was stronger than before, and that she could fight back. That was really her only option at this point. She took a few steps forward and stood in a fighting position, as Darkness stopped walking towards her.

"Well well, your so much braver now, aren't you? That's great, I'm so proud," Darkness said in a taunting voice, which made Raven furrow her eyebrows.

"Oh... I see determination in your eyes. Well, if you so insist to fight..." Darkness said, and he turned his back towards Raven.

After a moment, Darkness said, "Then let's begin!"

Darkness immediately turned around and shot a black and red blast towards Raven. She was able to jump up with her sound power, and use a sound shield when Darkness also jumped up to attack her with a black, smokey blade. The blade hit the shield and stood there for a moment before bouncing back, which pushed Darkness back too. Free falling, Raven used a wind slash, with her hand, towards Darkness, which he was able to deflect with his black blade. Then they both flipped backwards and landed on the ground. The black blade disintegrated, and Darkness charged towards Raven with concentrated black and gray energy in his hands. Raven also charged energy into her hands, one hand with shadow, and the other with sound. Although Raven never really did that before, with the adrenaline rush, she was able to hold it steady. She ran towards Darkness, as both of their hands came into contact. Waves of energy radiated from the contact, as Darkness and Raven were trying to push the other back into submission.

"Do you really think you can fight me? Your years behind me dear girl," Darkness said.

"Well judging on how long you've been around, you shouldn't even be standing," Raven said.

"Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Your amusing dear child, but your not going to last long," Darkness said with a sly grin.

"I'll last longer than you think," Raven said, as her hands started to glow purple, and Darkness' eyes widened.

Raven pushed Darkness back with a strong wave of purple energy from her hands. Darkness went flying back from the attack, but then he spun around once and planted his feet on the floor as he skidded back a little bit.

"Well, you have gotten stronger. Very good," Darkness said, as he brushed off his right shoulder with this left hand, and added,

"But your missing a few key components if you really wish to hurt me."

Raven signed and said, "I don't want to hurt you or anyone for that matter. Please Darkness, there's no need for all of this. We don't have to fight."

Darkness tilted his head to side slightly with a raised eyebrow, and smiled slightly, as he said, "Tell me Raven, are you willing to come with me? Because unless you are, then I'll have to fight you or your friends."

Raven gasped in surprise, but then she hissed dangerously, as her serpent tongue and fangs were visible. Darkness chuckled with a grin, and then he said,

"Now this is going to be interesting."

_Back with the others (Ninja):_

"This is awesome! Raven finally mastered her four elements, and now Lucy mastered Water. Soon Raven will be able to use her Silver powers! I really want to see what she can do with them," Jay said, excited.

"I wonder what Silver powers can actually do," Nya said.

"Well, whenever Lucy unlocks her Full Potential, then we'll know," Flare said.

"I'll try my best to unlock my Full Potential guys," Lucy said, determined.

"Don't rush yourself. It's better to be ready then unprepared,' Auria said, and Lucy nodded towards her.

"The Silver dragon... I wonder what it'll look like," Kai said.

"It'll probably be as cool as Lloyd's Golden dragon," Cole said.

"And probably blinding too," Christa said, and the others laughed.

-Rustle Rustle-

Christa's attention was immediately brought towards a group of bushes. Zane noticed this, and he asked Christa,

"What is it Christa?"

The other Ninja turned their attention to Christa, and she replied,

"Someone is watching us."

The Ninja pulled out their Platinum weapons and readied themselves.

"Who's there?" Dareth said, standing in front of Violet, and she looked at him with one eyebrow raised.

A laugh was heard, as a woman with steel-colored eyes stepped out from behind the bushes.

"Silva!" The Ninja said at the same time.

"Yes, hello petty Ninja. Nice to see you all again. It's been awhile huh?" Silva said with a cheeky smile.

"Silva!" -Misako

Everyone turned to see Misako, Sensei Garmadon, Sensei Wu, and Dr. Julien walking towards them.

"Hello my friend. Good to see you too," Silva said to Misako and took a short bow, as Misako looked at her with a troubled expression.

"Why have you come here?" Sensei Wu said, as he, Sensei Garmadon, Misako, and Dr. Julien took fighting stances.

Silva smirked, while putting her hand on her hip, and replied,

"To test out the newcomers of our team."

Scratching and growling sounds were heard, as the lizard creatures that were seen in Ninjago city emerged from the forest, semi-circled in front of the Ninja.

"Oh my..." Dareth said, while the Ninja stood in shock.

"What's the matter Ninja? Never seen an army of Lizarians before?" Silva asked, still wearing her cheeky smile.

"That's what they're called?" Cole asked with Jay's voice, as Flare smacked Jay over the head.

"What? I didn't ask," Jay said, rubbing his head.

"No matter what army you have, they can't stand up to us," Lloyd said.

The Ninja and Lizarians prepared themselves to fight in that moment, but as Lloyd was still looking at Silva with more astute eyes, he saw a hint of deceit cross over them for a moment. Then Lloyd's eyes darted around towards the others, and he realized that two people were missing.

'_NO!'_ Lloyd thought in a quick panic, and then he said to the Ninja,

"Guys, I have to find Raven and my dad, keep them busy for as long as you can!"

The Ninja looked towards him and nodded, as they turned their attention back to Silva and the Lizarians. Lloyd made a run for it towards where Raven and his father had headed to earlier.

"Stop him!" Silva said to a red-eyed lizarian, but when that lizarian tried to fly towards Lloyd, a powerful gust of wind repelled him.

"Don't even think about it," Auria said, as she stood flying above the ground with wind surrounding her feet.

"You want to get in the way? Fine! Attack!" Silva commanded as she pointed towards the Ninja, and the Lizarians charged towards the Ninja, as the Ninja charged towards them.

**To fight or not to fight... FIGHT!**


	72. Chapter 72 Lloyd vs Darkness

BAM!

Raven skidded back from Darkness after he deflected another attack from her. She wiped her mouth with her backhand, as she breathed heavily.

'_He's tough. Very tough,_' Raven thought, as Darkness' laugh snapped her out of it.

"I have to say, I'm impressed. You've learned so much in such little time. Your a natural! Your form, your skill, your strength, it's exemplary! Your masters have taught you well," Darkness said, as his hands were glowing red and black mists around them, since Raven would occasionally attack him.

Raven straightened up, as she concentrated wind and water around her hands, and said,

"Thanks, I guess."

It was a bit awkward for Raven to thank the same person that she was fighting. Then Darkness looked at Raven with a softer expression, as his eyelids lowered and he held a kinder smile on his face, which made Raven a bit nervous.

"I can teach you much better than they can. If you want, I can show you all that I know. You'll be able to master not just your default powers, but much more... light and dark," Darkness said, and then he extended his right hand towards Raven, as the energy on that dissipated.

"Come with me Raven, and you'll learn all that you want to know and more," Darkness said, with a kind smile, but a dark glimmer in his eyes.

Raven looked at Darkness in surprise. She thought about what he was saying, and her concentrated power around her hands started to slowly fade away.

"Come Raven, and your friends won't get hurt... especially Lloyd," Darkness said with a smirk.

Raven looked down, as the power around her hands faded away a bit more, and then she slowly started walking towards him. Darkness' smirk widened, as Raven stood a few feet away from him, while looking down. Raven slowly raised her head to look at Darkness, eye to eye.

Darkness stood waiting for Raven's response, but then his eyes widened as his smirk faded, when Raven raised both hands towards him, and a dense amount of purple energy emitted from her hands suddenly.

"No," Raven said calmly, as the purple energy burst from her hands in a wave towards Darkness.

Darkness immediately bended his knees and jumped to his left when the wave came for him. He was just barely able to dodge the wave, as it continued on it's way and hit the trees that were there, and cut them in various pieces. Then Darkness looked towards Raven, and noticed a ball of sound and wind rushing towards him. Darkness tilted his body back, and put his right hand on the ground, as he leaned back and the attack missed him. It hit some trees behind them, and on contact, it burst and the skin of the trees were shaved off.

Before Darkness could get up straight, Raven was in the air above him, slashing downward at him with a shadow-formed blade with a water-formed sharp edge. Darkness placed his left hand on the ground, and then he pulled himself into a handstand, as his right leg, charged with gray energy, kicked at the shadow blade. For a moment, Darkness and Raven stood in a struggle with the shadow blade and Darkness' charged-up leg, but then Raven had to back flip out of the way, when Darkness kicked with his other foot.

As Raven landed, Darkness flipped over on his feet and quickly stood up. Raven ran towards Darkness, and she charged her right hand and arm with purple energy, as she readied herself to punch him. Darkness looked at Raven with a near stoic expression and a hint of annoyance in his eyes. Right before Raven was going to make contact, Darkness reached out and grabbed her wrist with his right hand in a firm grasp, as black energy emitted from his hand. Raven tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but then she felt that her purple power was being drained. She continued to struggle to try to get out of Darkness' grasp, but she ended up on her knees, pulling away as hard as she could.

When Raven was on her knees, weakly trying to pull back, Darkness slowly started to smile, as it turned into an amused grin.

"M-My power... I can't... too weak," Raven said to herself, as she still continued to pull back, although she barely had strength to do so.

Darkness chuckled slightly and said, "My my my, your such a fighter aren't you? But I should expect no less from the daughter of a Black Mambian, and a powerful Sensei."

Raven looked up at Darkness with whatever energy she had left with irritation and weakness. Darkness only smiled sweetly, and then he pulled Raven up to her feet. He wrapped his free arm around her waist to keep her up, and then he looked up into the sky and said,

"Come now."

Raven, weakly, lifted her head up so that she could see who Darkness was calling, but then she heard a swift movement behind her. Darkness heard it too, and he grabbed Raven firmly and jumped away, as they turned to see who was there.

"Sensei Garmadon!" Raven said in the loudest voice she could since she still felt weak.

Sensei Garmadon stood where they were standing, with his spear-stick in his hands downward, like if he just finished an incomplete strike. He looked up towards Darkness in irritation, as he looked towards Raven in concern.

"Don't worry about her. She's just a little weak from having her power absorbed. She'll recover," Darkness said, with a small smile on his face.

Garmadon looked towards Darkness with disdain, and said, "Let her go Darkness."

Darkness smiled smugly and said, "Let her go Darkness..."

Garmadon looked at Darkness confused, as did Raven. Then Darkness tilted his head to the side, waiting, and then Garmadon realized what he meant.

"-Sign- Let her go Darkness, please," Garmadon said, unamused.

Darkness took a moment to think about it, and then he slowly released Raven's wrist and her waist, as she slowly slide to the ground onto her hands and knees. Then Darkness aimed his hand towards Raven, and black rope shot forth from his sleeve and wrapped around Raven's arms and torso. Raven tried to wiggle out of it, but to no avail.

"Darkness! I asked to let her go!" Sensei Garmadon said, as he took a step forward.

"Yes you did, and I let her go momentarily. Honestly Garmadon, do you really think that I'm just going to let her go this time? I let you people keep her long enough, and I don't regret that since she's much stronger now. I came here to retrieve the Purple Kunoichi, and that's what I'm going to do! I'm not leaving without her now," Darkness said, as he stepped in front of Raven and stood looking at Sensei Garmadon with his signature smile.

"It's too bad I'm not giving you a choice," Sensei Garmadon said, as he raised his staff and took another step towards Darkness.

Darkness spread his arms outward, and said, "Let's see how far that goes."

_Verpentine and Vampires:_

"Slap her on the FACE!" Andrex yelled out to Marcell, as he kicked a blue-eyed lizarian on the face.

"I'm trying! She's avoiding me!" Marcell yelled back, as she continued to pursue Kerrie, who kept avoiding her in combat.

"Coward!" Bronze yelled, as he punched a red-eyed lizarian in the face.

"Coward, coward. So inaccurate," Kerrie said, as she chuckled.

Marcell looked at Kerrie suspiciously, and that made her pay more attention to the others and her people. Then Marcell decided to help the Vampires and Verpentine, while Kerrie watched from a distance behind the army of lizarians.

'_I'm no coward. I just know when to attack, defend, and hide... especially from Marcell,_' Kerrie thought, as she continued to watch.

_Darkness and Garmadon:_

-Biff!-

"Arg!" Sensei Garmadon yelled out, as he was smacked back by Darkness from another energy whip to the torso.

"Come on old man! I thought you had more fight in you. Your son certainly has," Darkness taunted, as he whip the ground near him and it cracked.

"You think this is all I've got?" Sensei Garmadon said, as he held his chest since the last attack knocked the wind out of him momentarily.

"Really Garmadon? You can barely stand now. What more is there?" Darkness asked with a smirk.

"Leave him alone!" Raven yelled out, as she regained more energy to at least stand up.

Darkness turned to her and said, "I'll be with you in a minute dear girl. Be patient."

Raven grew more frustrated since she couldn't help but watch, since Darkness drained her powers, and the ropes prevented her from recharging much.

"Rah!" Sensei Garmadon yelled out, as he charged towards Darkness, who chuckled.

Sensei Garmadon attacked Darkness with his spear stick, and was deflecting and blocking his energy whip. Darkness was more amused and intrigued at Garmadon's fighting style now, since he was using more skill and power than before.

"I guess you really do have more of a fight to offer," Darkness said, as he and Garmadon stood in a struggle with their weapons to push the other back.

"There are those who are 'more than meets the eye' Darkness," Sensei Garmadon said, as he pushed Darkness a little back.

"Yes, true. But there are those who are 'more than what they seem,' Darkness said.

"Ye-wait, that's the same thing I just-AH!" Sensei Garmadon said but then Darkness' weapon burst into pure energy that smacked Garmadon back a couple of feet to the ground.

"Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!" Darkness laughed, and then he started walking towards Garmadon.

"Sensei Garmadon!" Raven called out in worry.

"Oh, 'Sensei' Garmadon. Nice," Darkness said, as he stood next to Sensei Garmadon.

Sensei Garmadon was leaning on his elbows, trying to get up, but he stopped when Darkness stood next to him. He looked up at Darkness in slight anger, as Darkness looked at him in amusement.

"What's the matter? You give up now?" Darkness asked, as he placed his hands in his pockets with a smirk.

Then Sensei Garmadon smirked and replied, "Actually, I've decided to tag out, and let _him_ finish this."

Darkness arched an eyebrow, and then he heard something land not too far behind him. He turned around to see the Golden/Green ninja looking around at the situation, and then turning towards him with a scowl.

"Lloyd," Raven said in relief to see her love.

Darkness looked towards Raven from the corner of his eye, and he could see the love in her eyes for Lloyd. He looked towards Lloyd, and he saw that Lloyd turned towards Raven with those same eyes of love. Darkness smirked and lightly chuckled seeing this love between the Purple and Green ninja.

"How sweet it is to love someone so strongly... It's too bad, that I'll have to end this moment temporarily," Darkness said, as he smiled with shuttered eyes towards Lloyd, who looked at him with determination to defeat him.

Sensei Garmadon was able to get up on one knee, but he stood on the ground breathing partially heavily. Raven noticed Sensei Garmadon's tired state, and she moved a few steps towards him, but stopped so that Darkness wouldn't notice.

"What are you going to do now boy? What is your plan of action? If you want to tell me of course," Darkness asked, as he stood with his hands in pocket, waiting for Lloyd's response.

"I'm taking you down first, and then I'm going to free Raven and save her and my dad from you!" Lloyd said, as he stood in a fighting stance.

"Heh heh heh, how funny. You think you can fight me now, huh? Well, let's see how much you've progressed," Darkness said, as he put himself into a fighting position.

Darkness and Lloyd stood ready to fight, as the dark borders came around their eyes during their stare down. A continuous wind began to pick up, and then their battle began:

Lloyd was the first to attack, as he summoned the Golden dragon and used golden fire from the dragon's mouth. Darkness smirked, and then he held his hand forward, as a dark, translucent shield blocked him from the golden fire. He started walking forward towards Lloyd, until the fire stopped and he removed his shield. Darkness realized that Lloyd wasn't in front of him, but then he noticed that there was a large shadow around him. He immediately looked up while shooting a red and black beam of dark energy upward. Lloyd was above Darkness and he dodged the attack. Then Lloyd saw Darkness appear on the head of the Golden dragon. Lloyd shot golden energy waves at him and beams, but Darkness was able to deflect them. Then Lloyd shot a more concentrated beam of golden energy at Darkness, and it actually hit him.

"Yes!" Lloyd said, but then his eyes widened in shock, as he saw that Darkness was still standing there.

Darkness blocked himself with his cape, and only his cape was damaged.

"What?! But I hit you, that's not possible!" Lloyd said in disbelief.

"Oh you foolish boy. You don't know what power I have. You don't even know what powers _you_ possess. Your weak against me," Darkness said with his signature smile, and he started concentrating dark, misty energy in his right hand.

Before Lloyd could react, Darkness rushed towards him, and grabbed him by the neck with his left hand.

"You still don't know. You don't know the past, so you wouldn't understand... the powers you can possess," Darkness said, and Lloyd looked at him in surprise.

Then Darkness punched Lloyd with his charged up hand, which sent Lloyd to the ground, and made the Golden dragon disappear. Lloyd was able to do a back-flip and use a small burst of green energy from his hands to land safely on the ground. Darkness landed not too far in front of him, and then he started walking towards Lloyd.

"What do you know about the past?" Lloyd asked.

"You'll figure it out, and I don't have time to toy with you anyway," Darkness said, as he continued walking towards him.

Lloyd waited for Darkness to come closer, and then he yelled out,

"NINJAGOOO!"

Lloyd used spinjitzu towards Darkness, who took a couple of steps back. Then Darkness smirked and started to use spinjitzu as well. The two tornadoes, one of light and one of darkness, clashed, as a magnificent burst of various colored energies flew around and sparked immensely. Sensei Garmadon took this chance to run towards Raven, and try to cut off the dark ropes with his spear-stick.

"It's really tough," Sensei Garmadon said, as he tried to cut the sturdy rope.

"If only he didn't drain my powers. I could cut it myself," Raven said.

"Let's not focus on 'what if.' Let's focus on the situation now," Sensei Garmadon said, and Raven nodded.

-BAM-

Darkness and Lloyd were both smacked back by each others' powers, as they skidded back from each other. Darkness clothes were a bit torn and damaged, as was Lloyd's clothes. However, Lloyd had some bruises on him, while Darkness only had one on his arm.

"Very good boy. You've gotten stronger. _I'm so proud_," Darkness said, although his last few words were more sarcastic.

Lloyd snickered and said, "Yeah thanks. I was_ so _looking forward to your_ approval._"

Darkness chuckled, but then he noticed Garmadon trying to cut Raven's ropes. He smiled darkly and said,

"I don't think so Garmadon! Stop Him!"

Garmadon and Raven looked towards Darkness, and then something large landed behind them. Lloyd turned around, and his eyes widened in shock as he gasped. Garmadon and Raven turned to see who was there, but then Garmadon was smacked away from Raven. He landed on the ground, but when he looked up, Garmadon gasped at the beast before him.

**The beast to be revealed next chapter.**

**So, I posted this chapter much sooner, and I may post another chapter tomorrow. I'm not sure yet. **


	73. Chapter 73 Separation

**Hey people. I just want to say that, during the time I took to write this chapter, I cried internally.**

The beast that stood before him was a large, dark purple dragon, with pink glowing eyes, vicious pearly-whites and claws, and long extremities coming from around his face with horns on the back of his head. He lifted his head up and laughed, and then he said,

"What's the matter Garmadon? Not happy to see an old **friend**?"

"Overlord…" Garmadon said, as he slowly stood up.

"You remember me. How thoughtful. Hahahaha!" Overlord said, and then he turned towards Lloyd.

"Ah, the chosen one. I'm not _very_ thrilled to see you again, but I'll let bygones be bygones," Overlord said.

"How? How are you here? Why?!" Lloyd asked, as he concentrated golden energy in his hands.

"There's no need to get violent with me boy. I'm not here to fight _you_. Darkness has resurrected me from where you destroyed me, and now I can serve under him. My mission now is to protect the girl from you," Overlord said, and then he quickly moved around Raven, as he curled his tail around her to keep her in place.

"Get away from her!" Lloyd yelled out.

"I take orders from Darkness boy, and you shouldn't turn your back to your opponent," Overlord said.

Lloyd's eyes widened, and before he could turn around, Darkness grabbed his left arm and used spinjitzu while holding onto him. Darkness beat Lloyd around for awhile, and then he tossed him away. Lloyd hit the ground, but he was able to quickly get up, although he held his right side.

"Lloyd!" Raven called out to him.

"Oh don't worry child. I'm sure he can take it," Overlord said to Raven, as she looked at him in frustration.

"Ha ha ha! How adorable you are when your upset!" Overlord laughed, and Raven looked away from him.

"Leave her be Overlord!" Garmadon shouted at the evil dragon.

"Hmph. Who asked you to interfere 'Sensei' Garmadon. HA! How pathetic!" Overlord said, and Garmadon glared at him.

Lloyd shot another golden beam at Darkness, but then he suddenly disappeared. The Golden/Green ninja looked around, but then he heard a gust of wind pass behind him, which made him freeze.

"What's up?" Darkness said from behind Lloyd.

When Lloyd turned towards him, Darkness upper-cut him up into the air. Lloyd was a bit dazed by the hit, but before he could move, Darkness jumped up in front of him and back smacked him away. Lloyd went flying back, still in mid-air, but then Darkness appeared behind him, and punched him higher up. Lloyd went upward for a moment, and he tried to shake off the hit so that he could retaliate. However, Darkness appeared above him, which surprised Lloyd at his speed, and then he elbowed Lloyd downward on his stomach. Lloyd screamed out from the impact of the strike, and then he fell down to the ground. He screamed out again on impact with the ground.

"NO! LLOYD!" Raven screamed out, as she tried to jump over Overlord's tail.

"Your not going anywhere girl! Just watch!" Overlord said, as he pulled his tail upward to catch Raven before she could jump over.

"LET ME DOWN!" Raven said, as she stood on the Overlord's tail on her stomach, and kicking her feet.

"Now now dear princess. Behave yourself. I'm sure you wouldn't want Lloyd or his father to receive worse injuries," Overlord said, as he looked towards Garmadon with a devious smile.

Raven gasped, as she looked towards Sensei Garmadon, and he glared at the Overlord with more contempt.

"You **dare** to use our well being against her? You lowly creature," Sensei Garmadon said, and Overlord just laughed.

Lloyd stood on the ground in much pain. He had bruising and cuts all around his body, but he knew he had to get up. He had to save his father and Raven. Lloyd was able to move slowly, as he turned himself over and stood on his hands and knees. Although he tried to stand up, Lloyd fell back on his knees as he coughed up a bit of a light red substance. He wiped his mouth, and then Lloyd tried to get up, but this time a weight on his back pushed him down. Lloyd turned his head to look up, and he saw Darkness standing with his foot on his back, and a wicked smile on his face. Lloyd tried to get up, but Darkness' foot was planted firmly on his back.

"Your resistance is admirable, but it won't last against me," Darkness said, as he looked towards Lloyd's left arm.

He took his foot off from Lloyd's back, and he held it up above Lloyd's left elbow. Lloyd looked up at him in question, as Darkness looked down at him with a crazy glint in his eyes. Sensei Garmadon anticipated what Darkness was going to do, and he ran forward and yelled out,

"LLOYD MOVE!"

But before Lloyd could react, Darkness stomped his foot down. A crack was heard from the impact of Darkness' foot on Lloyd's elbow, as Garmadon and Raven gasped. Lloyd watched Darkness break his elbow before his very eyes, and he gasped in shock. Then, when the pain began pulsing through his arm, Lloyd shouted,

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Ninja:

Christa looked up to the sky when she heard a shout of agony.

"What is it Christa?" Cole asked her, after punching a red-eyed lizarian in the face.

"It's Lloyd... he's in trouble!" Christa replied.

"Lloyd's in danger? But he's the Golden Spinjitzu Master, who could've-" Kai cut himself off when he thought of who it could be.

The other Ninja thought the same thing, and they all shouted, simulataneously,

"DARKNESS!"

"We gotta help him!" Jay said.

"There's too many creatures, we might not make it in time!" Auria said.

"Then let's turn up the heat. Full Potential style!" Flare said.

"Would you guys be able to do that?" Lucy asked.

"We have to try. There's no other alternative!" Zane said.

"Let's do it!" Cole said.

"NINJAGOOO! FULL POTENTIAL!" The Ninja besides Lucy yelled out, as they used their spinjitzu to turn into their Full Potential forms.

"Ooooh no... theeeey learned something new," Silva said, as she started walking backwards to the forest behind her.

Darkness and Lloyd:

"AAAAHHHH! AAAHHH! AAAHH!" Lloyd yelled out as the pain grew worse.

"I'll break you boy. Even if I have to literally do it, I'll BREAK you," Darkness said in an almost whisper, as he slowly walked around Lloyd in a wide circle.

"Darkness you devious fox!" Garmadon yelled out in fury, as he tried to run towards Lloyd to help him.

However, the Overlord was able to jump up, as he hoisted up Raven with his tail, and land on Garmadon with one of his feet to hold him down.

"Now now Garmadon. Don't interrupt my master. He's not through yet," Overlord said, while placing Raven on the ground near him so that he could keep an eye on her.

Raven was horrified by seeing Lloyd in such pain. She could hear the pain in his screams, and her heart was breaking in pieces seeing her love being broken before her. What made it worse was that she couldn't help him, and it made the pain in her breaking heart swell up, as her eyes began to water and her bottom lip began to quiver.

Lloyd was breathing rapidly, as he tried to move, although it felt as if a knife was continuously staving where his arm was broken every time he moved. However, Lloyd was able to get on his other hand and knees, and he pushed himself up, as he held onto his broken arm with his good hand. Then he remembered how Kerrie was able to use crystal to wrap her arm when it was cut off, so Lloyd encased the broken part of his arm in ice to protect it. Then he breathed out in relief since the ice was helping to numb some of the pain.

Darkness smirked and held his hand under his chin, as he watched Lloyd staggering onto his feet and encasing his arm in ice.

"How sad isn't it? I can break you so easily, yet you haven't harmed me in any way really. That's truly sad isn't it?" Darkness asked, as he continued to circle around Lloyd, who followed his movement with his eyes.

"All this pain your going through, all the stress, the anguish, the physical pain... what's the point of it all if you _still_ can't defeat me?" Darkness asked, and Lloyd replied rather weakly,

"I will... defeat you."

"And what are you planning on doing Lloyd? What could you possibly do now? Shall I break your legs and you finally see that you can't win? Or better yet..." Darkness said, and then he disappeared again.

Lloyd anticipated that Darkness was going to appear behind him, and he turned and punched with his good hand with all his might behind him, which landed on the side of Darkness' face. Lloyd looked at Darkness with some triumph since he finally punched him, and Raven and Garmadon were surprised. After a moment of Darkness standing there with his face turned to the side, he started to mumble, then he started to laugh, and then he started to laugh out loud. Lloyd, Garmadon, and Raven looked at him nervously, as Overlord smiled and chuckled. Then Darkness looked towards Lloyd with a smile and said,

"Your really something aren't you boy? A real fighter. What an addition you would make if you joined me..."

Darkness quickly grabbed Lloyd's broken arm and twisted it behind his back. This time, the cracking sound was coming from the ice casing, as it was slowly breaking apart. Lloyd started to scream out, but then he gritted his teeth from the interminable pain.

"How much better things could be for you and the ones you care for. If you join me now, then you wouldn't have to worry about them. They'll be safe... your father, your mother, your dear Raven, and your friends. I won't hurt them if you join me. I'll let _you_ take care of them, and the rest of the world will be mine. You can live your lives in peace if _you_ join me Lloyd... Don't you care about them?" Darkness said, and then he turned Lloyd towards where Raven was.

"Look at her," Darkness said over Lloyd's shoulder, as Lloyd looked at Raven in surprise when he saw tears streaming down her cheeks and suffering in her eyes.

"Don't you wish for her suffering to end? Don't you want to stop the pain in her dear heart from having to watch you suffer? You can make the pain go away. You can make her happy, and everyone else you care about... I can help you," Darkness said, as he released Lloyd's arm and stepped back, as Lloyd almost fell forward and held onto his damaged limb.

"What do you say Lloyd? Shall you join me?" Darkness said, as he looked at Lloyd with a smirk and a devious hint in his eyes.

Lloyd didn't know what to do. If he joined Darkness he would be helping an evil man rule the world while keeping his priorities in check, however, if he didn't join Darkness then his loved ones would suffer and that would hurt him worse than the pain he felt now. Lloyd didn't know what to truly think anymore: the world or his loved ones. He would give anything to keep his loved ones safe, but would he risk the whole world and all those people to do so? Lloyd looked towards Darkness, as Darkness extended his hand towards him with a cheeky smile. Although that annoyed him, Lloyd was slowly reaching out towards Darkness, although he would occasionally pull away from second guessing.

"Lloyd! Don't listen to him! He's only deceiving you! He wants you to give up so that he can rule! Don't give up son!" Garmadon yelled out to Lloyd, as the Overlord pushed his foot down on Garmadon to try to shut him up.

However, Garmadon was more persistent and yelled out,

"NINJA... NEVER... QUIT!"

Lloyd's eyes widened, as Raven's did when they heard those words.

'_I... I can't give up,_' Lloyd thought.

'_It's not over yet...'_ Raven thought.

Darkness saw the renewed strength of Lloyd's will in his eyes, as he saw the same thing in Raven's eyes. He decided that waiting any longer would result in more delays, so Darkness decided to take the initiative.

"I see that you will not join me then. Well, I guess we'll see what happens next time... but I still get to claim my prize," Darkness said, and chucked darkly, as Lloyd's eyes widened.

Then Darkness disappeared again, as Raven's cries were heard when Darkness grabbed her and stood with her on the Overlord's back.

"I bid you an adieu boy! Next time we'll see what happens! BYE BYE!" Darkness said, as the Overlord began to take flight.

"NOOO!" Lloyd yelled out, as he ran after the dragon.

"LLOYD!" Raven cried out.

Lloyd used whatever strength he had to summon the head and neck of the Golden dragon, and he shot numerous golden beams towards the Overlord. The Overlord was able to dodge all of the attacks, although Darkness deflected some of the beams with a dark shield he occasionally used around the Overlord.

After a while, Lloyd used up almost all of his strength, and he collapsed on his knees while holding his broken arm with his good hand. He looked up as the Overlord started flying away with Darkness and Raven. Garmadon ran towards his son and bended down next to him, as Lloyd continued to look towards where Raven was being taken. Then Lloyd said, weakly,

"Raven... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'll... I'll find you again. I'm so sorry..."

Lloyd looked down in defeat and shame, as Garmadon wrapped one of his arms around his son.

"We'll find her Lloyd, and we'll get her back," Garmadon said, as he tried to comfort his son.

**:(**


	74. Chapter 74 Clemency

**I decided to post this chapter now, since I will be busy tomorrow. Enjoy.**

Darkness, Overlord, Raven:

As they flew away from the battleground, Raven continued to look back where Lloyd was. She was able to hear him apologize and say that he would find her, and that gave her some comfort, although she felt bad since she could feel Lloyd's pain in his words.

"Don't fret about him dear girl. He's strong enough to survive, although his will is inconveniently strong too," Darkness said, looking ahead.

Raven looked towards him with some anger, as she wiggled out of his grasp and jumped off of the dark dragon.

"Oh, that wasn't very smart dear girl," Darkness said with a smile.

"Shall I retrieve her?" The Overlord asked.

"Not yet. Let her lose some energy," Darkness replied.

Raven was able to use some of her powers to land safely with wind and sound. She started running back towards where Lloyd was for awhile, although it was difficult since she could feel herself getting tired faster from the dark ropes around her. Then, as she jumped over a log, something hooked onto the rope on her back, and she was pulled up high into the air.

"AAAAHHH!" Raven yelled out when she was pulled up into the air, and then she stopped when she came nearly face-to-face with Darkness.

"Hello little fish. Had a nice swim?" Darkness said, holding onto a black fishing rod that he used to catch Raven.

Raven growled at him with much fury in her eyes.

"Oh! Look at that. The pretty little fish is upset. Don't worry. I'm sure you'll see Lloyd again," Darkness said, as he brushed his hand across Raven's face to move some of her hair back in place.

Then Raven became sad when she heard Lloyd's name, and she closed her eyes and lowered her head.

"Aw, now now dear child. No need to be so sad... I know! I'll show you what I've been working on in Ninjago city. Maybe then you won't feel so bad," Darkness said with a smirk, as he placed Raven next to him and held onto the back of the ropes to keep her steady, as the fishing rod disintegrated.

"Let's go!" Darkness said to the Overlord in a deeper voice then when he spoke to Raven.

"Yes, Master," Overlord said, as he took off flying towards Ninjago city.

However, when Darkness fished for Raven and held her in mid-air, someone was walking through the forest when they noticed this. He hid himself as he looked on in surprise to see that Darkness had Raven in his possession.

'_No... this can't be. I thought Lloyd was protecting her...'_ Ryan thought, as he saw Darkness fly off on the Overlord with Raven.

Ryan jumped up on top of a tall tree, and he saw where Darkness was going. Then he turned towards the opposite direction with some frustration, as he whispered, with subtle anger,

"Lloyd! She wasn't supposed to be caught!"

Ryan teleported away, and he kept himself hidden when he noticed that trucks with Lizarians were driving away.

During this time:

Sensei Wu, Misako, and Dr. Julien were able to make it to where Lloyd and Sensei Garmadon were. They ran towards them, as Sensei Garmadon intercepted them before they could reach Lloyd since he was still shaken up from being injured so badly, and he was sitting on the ground.

"What happened?" Sensei Wu asked.

"I'll explain in a minute. Dr. Julien, please help Lloyd. His arm is broken and he's badly bruised. I don't know what else is broken," Sensei Garmadon said.

"Oh my goodness!" Dr. Julien said as he quickly walked towards Lloyd to help him.

"What?! A broken arm! What happened to him?" Misako asked her husband in much worry and concern.

"Darkness," Sensei Garmadon said.

Misako and Sensei Wu widened their eyes in surprise and shock.

"No... is he okay? You know, mentally?" Misako asked.

Garmadon signed and said, without looking directly at Misako, "Darkness tried to break him, and although he didn't break on the battlefield, I think Raven being taken is taking it's toll on him now."

Misako gasped and Sensei Wu shook his head sadly when they heard that Raven was taken by Darkness.

"He used Silva and, as Marcell told me, Kerrie to distract us. He was after Raven this whole time, and he finally got her," Sensei Wu said.

"What do we do? We can't let Darkness have Raven for long," Misako asked.

Sensei Garmadon replied, "Your right my dear. But Lloyd isn't in good shape right now, and it may take a while for his arm to heal."

"Not to worry Sensei Garmadon. I have two healing vials from Flare and Christa. It should heal Lloyd in no time," Dr. Julien said, as he took out one of the vials from his lab coat pocket.

"Oh thank goodness. His arm should heal in no time," Misako said, and then she noticed that Lloyd remained silent the whole time while looking down.

"What happened to Lloyd's arm?"

Misako, Garmadon, Wu, Dr. Julien, and Lloyd looked towards where the voice came from, and they saw Sensei Reine and King Terrin approaching them. Sensei Reine was the one who spoke, and when Lloyd saw that it was the King and Queen, he turned his face away and kept his back towards them. Dr. Julien noticed Lloyd's gesture, but he continued working on his wounds.

"Your majesties," Sensei Wu said, but Sensei Garmadon took a step forward as Wu fell silent.

Sensei Garmadon said, "King Terrin, Sensei Reine... This may be difficult to take in, but... Darkness came to take Raven, and I was the first to challenge him, but when he overwhelmed me, Lloyd was able to step in on time to save me. However, during that battle, Darkness revealed that he had revived the Overlord, and he made him watch over Raven as he and Lloyd fought... Although Lloyd fought with all of his might, even after Darkness had broken his arm, he wasn't able to defeat him and... he took her."

Sensei Reine took a quick intake of breath as she placed her hand over her mouth in sad surprise. King Terrin closed his eyes as he breathed in a full breath and slowly breathed out through clenched teeth. Reine closed her eyes, as her hand moved up to the side of her head in stress and she whispered,

"My baby..."

Terrin heard her, and he took a step closer to Reine as he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. Then Terrin looked around the forest clearing that they were in more clearly, and he saw that it was a mess: trees were broken down in half and chiseled in pieces, the grass was burned and charred, the ground at certain areas was cracked and indented by a strong force, and there were some holes around the ground and large claw marks not too far from them.

"King Terrin," Sensei Garmadon said, as Terrin turned towards him with a stoic expression.

Then Garmadon bowed respectfully and said, "Please your highness. Although asking for your forgiveness maybe farfetched now, I _do_ ask that you please understand. Lloyd tried his hardest to fight Darkness back. He did all that he could and used all the strength he had to fight him back. Please King Terrin. Have mercy on my son. If you wish to unleash your wrath, then I-"

"Where is he?" King Terrin interrupted Sensei Garmadon, as he looked at him with some surprise to his question.

Terrin couldn't see where Lloyd was, considering that Wu, Garmadon, and Misako stood next to each other to block Lloyd from view. The three looked towards one another, but then they parted as they revealed the Golden-Green ninja to the King of the Viporeons.

King Terrin released his wife, as Reine stood where she was but she looked up to see what Terrin was going to do, as he walked closer to Lloyd. He stood about two feet away from Lloyd with the same stoic expression, although his eyes showed stress and sadness. Dr. Julien just finished applying the healing ointments on Lloyd, and he backed away when he saw Terrin approaching them. Terrin stood looking at Lloyd, although he was looking at his back since Lloyd had turned around.

"Lloyd," Terrin called in a neutral tone.

Lloyd's shoulders cringed a bit when he heard Terrin call his name and when he realized how close he was. Lloyd didn't turn around, but he replied in a low tone,

"Yes, your highness."

After a moment of silence, Terrin said,

"Lloyd. Turn around. I'm not going to speak to you if your back is turned."

Lloyd stood where he was, as he cringed a little more. Then King Terrin took a few steps closer to him, and placed his hand on Lloyd's shoulder and said,

"Lloyd. Just turn around. Don't be afraid of me. I'm not angry at you," Terrin said sincerely, and then he released Lloyd's shoulder and stood back a step.

Lloyd turned his head a bit, and then he breathed out, as his shoulders seemingly shivered when he stood up on his feet. The others around, besides Dr. Julien since he could see Lloyd's face, thought that he was scared until he turned around to face Terrin. Misako, Garmadon, and Wu gasped when they saw tears flowing like rivers down Lloyd's cheeks, and his eyes were filled with sorrow and pain. Reine looked at Lloyd in some surprise to see that his face not only showed sadness, but shame in himself.

Terrin looked at Lloyd with the same stoic expression, as Lloyd looked at him with the same pain-filled eyes and continuous tears with an occasional sniffle. Lloyd tried to hold back his cry so that he could talk to Terrin, but when he tried to open his mouth to speak, no sound came from his mouth. Then King Terrin shocked everyone there when he opened his arms towards Lloyd and gestured for him to 'come' with his hands. Lloyd's eyes widened in much surprise, but then they half closed, as he sniffled a few more times. Then he walked towards Terrin and almost fell into his arms as he grabbed onto him. Terrin was able to grab unto Lloyd and hold him firmly so that he wouldn't fall. Lloyd's muffled cry was heard as he let out his despair on Terrin's chest, as Terrin held onto him and closed his eyes, as he shed one tear.

Ninja, Verpentine, and Vampires:

"What? Silva came for you guys?" Marcell asked the Ninja.

"Yeah, and then she just disappeared," Jay replied.

"That's the same thing that happened with that Kerrie woman. She came to us, we rumbled, and then she disappeared," Marcell said.

Zane tensed up a bit when he heard Kerrie's name, since she broke the Falcon, and Auria stood close to him as she rubbed across his shoulders with one hand.

"Hold it up... If Kerrie came for you guys, and Silva came for us, then that means... they were just distractions," Flare said.

"Then they're real plan was to capture Raven after all," Violet said.

Everyone gasped, and then Dareth said,

"What are we waiting for? Let's go find them!"

**It's a bit short, but the next one will be a little longer. This story is taking a turn isn't it?**


	75. Chapter 75 It's not too late

Lloyd and others:

After Lloyd had finally settled down, he sat on the ground, while Terrin stood up and looked towards where Raven was taken, and Misako stood next to her son. Garmadon and Wu also stood close to Lloyd, and Dr. Julien stood looking around the forest to see if he spotted any enemies or the Ninja. Reine stood not too far behind Terrin as she looked towards Lloyd. She saw that he let out all of his tears, and that he was more stable now, so she decided to approach him.

Reine stood in front of Lloyd, as he looked up at her, and she looked down at him. Then she smiled and said,

"Lloyd. Thank you."

Lloyd looked at Reine in surprise, as did his parents and uncle. Then Lloyd asked,

"But Sensei Reine, why are you thanking me? I couldn't save her."

"But you were willing to put your life on the line to do so. Your wounds were indeed inflicted by Darkness, but I could see that certain wounds and fatigue was due to your _own_ actions. You fought the hardest you could have, and for that I am grateful," Sensei Reine said with a soft smile, as Lloyd nodded.

"Your welcome Sensei Reine," Lloyd said, and then he felt something deep down within his heart start to move and grow.

Lloyd closed his eyes as he placed his hand on his heart, and he felt a strong whirling feeling in his chest. Then he heard a familiar disembodied voice whisper to him,

'_It's not too late... you can still prevail..._'

Lloyd's eyes shot open when he heard those words, and he started to stand up.

"Lloyd, what-" Misako said, but then she immediately fell silent when she saw the fiery determination in Lloyd's stern expression as he stood up on his two feet.

Garmadon and Wu saw the same expression on Lloyd's face, and they didn't say a word either. A dramatic wind blew through the air, as Lloyd looked at Sensei Reine and said,

"I may not have been able to save her now, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up. It's not too late. I can _still_ get her back."

Terrin turned his head slightly back towards Lloyd' direction, as Lloyd continued,

"I know the journey from here on out is going to be a tough one, but I'm willing to take the risk. If there's any chance of bringing Raven back, I'm going to take it, and I won't rest until I get her back no matter what."

Sensei Reine eyes brightened with hope, as she smiled and nodded. Garmadon, Misako, and Wu looked towards one another, and then they nodded and looked back towards Lloyd with hopefulness.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Terrin asked, as he turned around and walked towards Lloyd.

He then gave Lloyd a small blue-liquid filled vial from his pocket and said,

"Here's something for the road. You only need a little bit to feel rejuvenated and heal some wounds, so don't get hurt too badly."

Lloyd put the vial in his pocket and looked towards Terrin and nodded with a smile, and Terrin nodded back and smiled.

"Be careful son," Garmadon said, and Lloyd turned towards him and nodded.

"I will. Thank you, everyone. I'll bring her back soon," Lloyd said.

"Go ahead then. We'll catch up," Wu said, and nodded with assurance, and Lloyd turned towards him and nodded back.

"Be safe Lloyd," Misako said with a smile, as Lloyd smiled back.

Then Lloyd turned towards where Darkness had flown away with Raven on the Overlord. He breathed in slowly, and then he jumped up and summoned the Golden dragon. Lloyd started to fly onward, as his search and retrieval of Raven began.

"Will he be okay going alone?" Dr. Julien asked.

"He won't be alone for long. He has allies," Sensei Wu said, as he turned towards the forest, and the Ninja, Verpentine, and Vampires emerged together.

"Hey! Where's Lloyd? I sensed him here a few minutes ago," Flare asked.

"He's following after Darkness and the Overlord to retrieve Raven," Sensei Reine said casually.

After a moment of silence, the Ninja screamed out in surprise, "WHAT!"

"What happened here?" Marcell asked, since the Ninja were too shocked to ask.

As the story of Lloyd and Darkness' battle was being told, Lucy looked out towards where Lloyd had flew off too. Then she noticed that a hooded stranger was watching them for a moment from on top of one of the trees. Her eyes widened as she recognized who he was, and he nodded towards her and then disappeared in a dark flash. Lucy looked on after he disappeared, but she didn't tell the others, since she figured that he only wanted her to see him considering that he didn't let his presence be known openly.

"What do we do now then?" Auria asked, after the story of the fight was told.

"We prepare ourselves for the upcoming battle ahead. Lloyd may be going ahead alone, but we'll be there to back him up," Sensei Wu said.

"Let's get ready to go now," Marcell said.

"Yeah, let's hurry up," Cole said, as everyone agreed.

As most of them ran to the camp to gather their vehicles and stuff, the sound of flapping was heard, as Ultra Dragon came and landed near the Ninja.

"Hey it's been awhile. Where've you been?" Kai asked Ultra dragon, as he petted the fire dragon's head on the nose.

"He must have taken some time to rest. He looks good," Christa said, as she noticed that Ultra dragon had less scars then before and that his scales were almost glowing white.

"Good to see ya boy! You finally came back," Cole said, as he petted the Earth dragon's head on the nose.

"He came at a very prominent time. We need all the help we could acquire," Zane said, as he petted the Ice dragon's head on the side.

"Oh yeah! The whole team is back to kick some butt," Jay said, as he stood on top of the Lightning dragon's head and bent down to pet him.

"Alright guys! The Bounty's ready for take off!" Nya shouted from on the Bounty's deck.

"Then let's get ready to fly," Flare said.

"Oh! This is pretty exciting! Well, besides Raven being kidnapped, but we're going to get her back!" Lucy said with a smile.

"Yes. That's right. We're going to get our friend back," Auria said, as she turned towards Christa and Flare, and they nodded towards her.

"We _are_ her guardians and best friends after all. So let's go," Christa said.

"Let's all go together," Cole said, as the kunoichi nodded towards him.

After everyone jumped into their vehicles, and the ninja jumped on Ultra dragon's back, they heard a roar, as they looked up and saw Pearl landing next to them.

"Pearl!" Christa said, as she ran towards Raven's purple dragon.

Pearl looked on in worry, when she saw the other kunoichi stand before her, but not Raven.

"Raven was kidnapped Pearl. We could use your help to rescue her," Auria said, as Pearl's eyes widened in short surprise, but then she growled and nodded.

Auria, Flare, Chirsta, and Lucy jumped on Pearl's back, and then everyone was ready to move onward.

"Guys! Girls! Everyone! Let's go! To Ninjago City!" Kai shouted out, as they all agreed with cheers.

"It's time... NINJAAAA!" Kai yelled out, and then everyone joined in for the next part as they took off flying and driving,

"GGOOOOOOOO!"

Lloyd:

As Lloyd flew above the trees following after where Raven was taken to, he noticed something on top of one of the trees ahead of him. His eyes widened when he noticed that it was a hooded person, and he recognized who he was. Lloyd eyed Ryan with determination for answers, as he dismissed Golden dragon in midair to land where Ryan was. Ryan teleported away, as Lloyd landed, and then Lloyd jumped down from the top of the tree to the ground. He examined his surroundings, and then he heard Ryan's voice say,

"So you let him get away with her."

Lloyd turned around and looked up to see Ryan, standing on one of the tree's branches and leaning on the trunk.

"I didn't 'let' him take her. He overpowered me, and I tried to stop him but..." Lloyd said, as he trailed off and looked down.

Ryan looked at Lloyd and signed. He looked up to the sky, closed his eyes, and said,

"Alright, fine. I'll lead you into Ninjago city to get her back."

Lloyd looked up at Ryan in surprise, as Ryan opened his eyes and looked back at him.

"What? Your going to help me? But I thought, but... Hold on! You wanted to take Raven before, and you wanted to do so because you _like_ her! Why should I trust you? I shouldn't!" Lloyd asked, as he balled up his hands into fists.

Ryan signed again with some annoyance and replied, "Because I'm your only chance to get into the city since it's being heavily guarded, and I for one don't like what Darkness is doing. Also, to be honest with you... Darkness ordered me to say that I liked Raven a lot."

Lloyd gasped and asked, "Wha-What? Why would he order you to do that?"

Ryan replied, "I wasn't sure at first. He told me to act like I liked her so that I could gain her trust to lead her away from the rest of you later on. I wasn't fond of the idea because I don't like being dishonest and fighting undercover, but he had a plan so I decided to follow it. But, when I met Raven... she has the kindest heart and courageous of spirits that I've ever seen besides one other... that made me second guess myself, and I decided not to take Raven as long as if you fought me, like in Fountain Falls."

Lloyd saw the sincerity in Ryan's eyes. Then he asked, "But then why would Darkness want you to do it?"

Ryan replied, "I think he wanted to see if you two were together or not, and I think he wanted me to come in between you and Raven. But that's just my thoughts on it. He seemed to be somewhat pleased when I told him that you two were inseparable though."

Lloyd took a moment to take this in, and then he asked, "You said Raven 'has the kindest heart and courageous of spirits' besides one other person... who's the 'other one'?"

Ryan teleported down to ground-level, and then he looked to the side where a stream of water was flowing just behind a few trees. His eyes softened a bit, and then he turned towards Lloyd and replied,

"The 'other one' I mentioned is... Lucy."

Lloyd's eyes widened as his head moved a bit back in surprise and wonder.

"Lucy... you... do you... is she your..." Lloyd tried to ask, and Ryan replied,

"Although I never directly told her, I'm quite fond of Lucy in actuality. Her sweet heart and beaming spirit is what directed my attention towards her, and that's how it started."

"How what started?" Lloyd asked, to clarify.

"... My feelings for her," Ryan said, and Lloyd nodded.

"Well... I'm very fond of Raven, and I want to save her. I promised her that I would, and for her, I would never break my promise. I'm sure you understand?" Lloyd said.

Ryan nodded, and then Lloyd said,

"I accept your proposal to help me."

Then Ryan said, "Just make sure to keep your end of the bargain by saving Raven and escaping Ninjago city together, alright?"

Lloyd nodded, and then both guys shook hands. They turned towards their destination's route, and they started running through the forest.

Silva:

After escaping the Ninja and regrouping with Kerrie's group, Silva and her group of Lizarians jumped into their vehicles, although Silva's had no hood over it, and they started to drive towards Ninjago city. They were driving for awhile, when they spotted a dark-winged creature flying towards the direction they were going, as they just made it to the desert.

"Over there! Darkness and the Overlord are en route!" Kerrie shouted out, as the driving lizarians and the flying ones turned towards where the Overlord was flying.

When they made it close enough next to where the Overlord was flying, Darkness looked over the side and smirked in triumph to see that his plan to capture Raven and regroup was a success.

"Ah! Very good Silva, Kerrie, and my dear pets! Mission complete!" Darkness said.

Silva, Kerrie, and a few of the Lizarians looked at Darkness, as he pulled Raven over to show them that she was captured. The lizarians cheered in truimph, and Kerrie smirked deviously.

Silva looked up at Raven, and her eyes fluttered in surprise when she saw Raven's despondent expression. Her heart felt as though it had been struck when Silva laid eyes on Raven's downhearted appearance.

'_The others rejoice but... what is there really to rejoice about?'_ Silva thought, as her steel-colored eyes slightly softened as she looked at Raven.

"Alright! Let's go!" Darkness shouted out, as he moved Raven back in place next to him and looked forward.

Silva regained her focus to the road when Darkness pulled Raven away. She felt sympathy for Raven, although she did her best not to show it by holding a cold glare on her face as she drove. Kerrie noticed Silva's glare, and she shivered a bit from it as she turned her attention to the road.

Raven:

As the Overlord flew with Raven and Darkness on his back and with Silva, Kerrie, and the Lizarians following, they were halfway through the desert as the sun was beginning to set. Raven saw that the sun was setting, and she was thinking of a plan to escape if they made camp for the night.

"Darkness, should we rest for the night and resume in the morning, or should we make it an all night flight?" The Overlord asked his master.

Darkness closed his eyes to think, and then he opened them and said, "Let's make it an all night flight. I want to get there as soon as possible."

Then Darkness grabbed Raven's chin to make her look up at him, as she glared at him, and he looked at her with a smug grin and said,

"I want to make sure my dear Raven gets to see Dark Ninjago city as soon as possible. Right Raven?"

Raven pulled her chin out of Darkness' grasp, which made him laugh. Then Darkness wrapped his arm around Raven and pulled her next to him. Raven pulled away, but then Darkness said,

"Calm down child. We have a long night and your probably tired. You can lean on me to sleep for awhile. It's better than dealing with me all night bothering you huh?"

Raven took a minute to think about it, and then she looked at Darkness with suspicion. He grinned with inscrutable eyes and extended his arm outward, as he gestured for her to lay down. After she took a few seconds to breathe, Raven slowly moved closer to Darkness, and she laid her head on the front of his shoulder. Darkness wrapped his arm around Raven to keep her still and so that she wouldn't roll off if she fell asleep.

"Better no?" Darkness asked but Raven didn't respond.

Then Darkness nodded towards the Overlord, as the Overlord roared at Kerrie, Silva, and the Lizarians so that they would know to keep going.

As they all continued on their way, Raven felt uncomfortable to be so close to her enemy. But at the same time, she felt comfortable in the sense that, something felt familiar about Darkness that she couldn't yet distinguish. Although she wanted to further analyze this feeling, her eyes grew heavy, as she actually fell asleep. Darkness sensed that Raven finally relaxed and he saw that she was sound asleep. He smiled at Raven's sleeping form, and then he looked forward and chuckled darkly as they continued flying.

**Next chapter will come sooner. **


	76. Chapter 76 Who are you?

Lloyd and Ryan:

After setting up camp, which was a fire and making two hamicks between three trees, Lloyd and Ryan sat near the fire as they were finishing up making blankets out of vines and leaves.

"So, Ryan... what do you like to do...?" Lloyd asked, since the silence was becoming too long and it was going to get very awkward soon.

Ryan chuckled a bit and asked, "That's what you really want to know?"

Lloyd looked at him unamused, and then he said, "Okay no, not really. I was just wondering... who are you, where do you come from, and how did you get tied up with Darkness? I know Silva is your mother, but do you have another reason?"

Ryan took a moment to think, and then he said, "I'll tell you about me, if you tell me about you too. That way it's fair."

Lloyd nodded and said, "Alright, sure."

Ryan sat back on the bark of a tree, and after taking a moment to breath, he began telling his story:

"I grew up on a mountaintop with my mother and father for awhile, and after some difficult situations, my mother and I went on the road traveling around the world to do something with our lives. The last place we visited happened to be Ouroborus, right after the Great Devourer was unleashed and shortly defeated. It was probably at the same time the Devourer was destroyed when we met Darkness. He came out of the pit from where the Great Devourer came from."

Lloyd- "He came out of there? He was actually sealed with the Great Devourer?"

Ryan- "No. He said that he was sealed _before_ the Great Devourer, deep into the darkest recesses of the underground. He also said that awhile after that, when the Great Devourer was to be captured and sealed, the people sealed him there, just above where he was sealed."

Lloyd- "Wait... did unleashing the Great Devourer, _also_ unleash Darkness from his seal?"

Ryan- "He said it made it easier for him to finally break out without a giant snake weighing down on his seal."

Lloyd- "That's how he got out... darn."

Ryan- "Any other questions?"

Lloyd- "Uh, yeah... What difficult situations were you talking about? I don't want to get _too_ personal but, what happened to your dad?"

Ryan stood silent for a moment, and then he said,

"My father was an honest merchant of a village that was about half a mile from the mountain where we lived on. He used to travel to the village with my mother, and then when I was born, they would either bring me along or my mother and I would stay home. Anyway, one day some business tycoon came to the village and tried to take it over by dishonest means. Then one day my dad was put on trial for stealing the money of the villagers that that business tycoon, Ron Shady, was collecting as taxes. The villagers vouched for my dad and pleaded his innocence because they knew that my dad was a good man and he wasn't a thief. He would always trade with whatever people had and he would work with them so that they could get the best deals without strife. However, my dad was unjustly found guilty and sentenced to thrive within the Forbidden Wilderness."

Lloyd- "Forbidden Wilderness?"

Ryan- "A land that was untouched by even the First Spinjitzu Master and left to be the last wild of wild wilderness of Ninjago. It is 'forbidden' because anyone who enters there doesn't usually make it back out. The land is said to be unbalanced, and those without strong wills and hearts won't be the same when they enter, or they probably won't survive..."

Lloyd's eyes widened, and then he looked down sympathetically, and said,

"I'm sorry if I made you have to think about that."

Ryan- "It's alright. Anyway, my dad was sent into the wilderness for forty days but, he never came back out. My mother was devastated, and although she didn't show it to me, I could see it in her eyes that she was sad... and angry. After a few years, I went to my new school that was pretty far away so I was only able to visit my mother in the summer or during long breaks. I knew she wanted to get Ron Shady back for what happened with my dad, but the way she did it made me realize how much my mother had learned from her family."

Lloyd- "What do you mean?"

Ryan- "My mother's family was a band of evil masterminds and some were just bad. They were always thinking of plans that ranged from stealing to ruling villages and such. They usually didn't get the children involved, which at the time, included my mother. But unlike her other family members, my mother wasn't bad like the rest of them. She was nice and kind, and she was a good person. I can still see that goodness inside of her."

Lloyd- "What happened to her?"

Ryan- "My father. After what happened to him she changed to a more darker version of herself. She was able to become a business woman, and she was able to get everyone who used to follow Ron Shady on her side. She found the paper work that proved Ron to be guilty of various crimes and offenses, which was shown in court and got Ron sentenced the same sentence as my dad. Ron didn't realize that my mother was pulling the strings until he stood outside of the Forbidden Wilderness..."

-Back in time: Outside the Forbidden Forest-

"_You can't do this to me! I am Ron Shady! Ron SHADY! I was in control of EVERYTHING! I can't be sentenced here! Please! Let me go! I'll do better with my life then! Please!" Ron Shady said, as he stood on his knees before a crowd of villagers and people who used to be his business partners. _

_Then a person in a black hood emerged from the crowd to speak. _

"_Ha ha ha ha. Do you really want me to consider your plea? After you banished my husband into these same woods?" the hooded person said, as she removed her hood and revealed herself to be Silva._

_Horrified, Ron Shady fell back and said, in a shaking voice, "N-N-No. Y-You! S-Silva! You tricked m-me... and... Joseph was your husband?!" _

_Silva smirked darkly and said, "Yes, you fool. And now you get to suffer his same fate, which he SHOULDN'T have suffered!"_

_Silva's expression became more enraged, as she extended her right hand towards Ron that wore the glove blade and said, _

"_Now then... GO INTO THE FLIPPING FOREST! Or I won't think twice before slicing you in half next time."_

_Fear encased Ron''s heart, as he immediately rose, and after looking at everyone one last time, he turned around and ran into the Forbidden Wilderness. Silva stood watching after him for awhile to make sure that he went in, as the other villagers turned to go. She also turned around, and she placed her hand on her heart as she said in a whisper, _

"_It's done... That's what you get for taking my love from me, and for forcing me to raise my hand against you..."_

_A single tear slid down Silva's face, and then she headed home to the mountaintop to greet Ryan, since he had just returned home after finishing school. _

-End of flashback that Ryan learned about from the old man of the village and from his mother, herself-

Silence loomed for awhile, as Lloyd was taking in what Ryan had just told him, and Ryan had closed his eyes to give Lloyd that moment to think. Lloyd stared at the fire for a moment, and then he looked away and shook his head.

"Your mother... she turned bad because she was hurt, but she's still good on the inside. That's why she was still a good mother to you, and she even felt bad for being forced to take revenge... that reminds me of how my dad was," Lloyd said, and Ryan opened his eyes to look at him.

"I told you about me. Tell me about you," Ryan said, and Lloyd nodded.

(I assume that many of you have watched Ninjago and know about Lloyd's past and his parents. I won't retell his story, but for those who don't know, you should probably watch the show (highly recommended) or look up his story on google. ;) )

After Lloyd told his story, Ryan nodded and signed.

"Well... I guess we're not so different, besides your mother leaving to save you and your father, and my dad being forced to leave... Weird huh?" Ryan said, and Lloyd nodded.

Then, as the fire started to die down, Lloyd noticed Ryan's glowing red eyes even more in the darkness.

"Ryan. I'm curious... why are your eyes red if your mom's are steel-colored? Unless your dad's were red," Lloyd asked.

"... My eyes aren't actually red. They became that way when I tried to travel into the Forbidden Wilderness almost a year after my dad was sentenced there," Ryan replied, and Lloyd gasped.

"What?! You tried to go into the Wilderness? Why?" Lloyd asked.

Ryan signed and looked down sadly, as he said, "I just... I wanted to find my father... I wanted us to be a family again, and I wanted to see my mother truly smile again."

Lloyd was surprised, but he let Ryan continue,

"I went into the forest late at night. My mother didn't realize I left the house because she was talking to Marcell, and I was supposed to be asleep. I ran into the forest with a picture of all three of us, just in case if my dad didn't recognize me. I walked around for a little bit, when a strange green, black, and blue striped, dragon thing emerged from the woods, without wings. I remember first seeing his eyes because they were glowing red. I didn't know what to do as he approached me..."

-Back to when young Ryan was in the forest and the wingless dragon emerged-

"_H-Hello. My name is Ryan. Have you seen my daddy?" Young Ryan asked the creature, as he held up the picture of himself, his mother, and his father. _

_Young Ryan was pretty much a smaller version of Ryan, but he wore a black t-shirt and blue pants, with messed up brown hair and unique eyes._

_The wingless dragon-creature looked as though it's head was slithering forward, as he took a couple of steps closer to the young boy. He sniffed the picture at first, and then he looked at the picture, and then at the boy. He looked at the man in the photo, standing with his arm around his wife, and his hand on his son's shoulder, as the mother's hand was on the other shoulder of their son. The wingless dragon stared at the picture and his eyes widened. The he turned to the young boy, who stood before him, with an expression of surprise and almost disbelief. Young Ryan tilted his head to the side as he studied the wingless dragon's reaction, and then he noticed that the eyes of the wingless dragon turned dark and looked human. Young Ryan reached his hand towards the dragon, and the dragon reached out his clawed hand to Ryan, gently. The wingless dragon held onto Ryan hand, and he whined with a happy and sad expression on his face. _

_Young Ryan finally recognized the wingless dragon's eyes, and then he walked closer to the dragon and asked, _

"_D-Daddy?"_

_The wingless dragon, also known as Ryan's father Joseph, looked at Young Ryan in response to him calling him. Tears formed around Young Ryan's eyes, as he moved forward and hugged his father around his slender neck._

"_Daddy. Your still alive daddy. Your still alive. I missed you," Young Ryan said, as he held his father tighter. _

_Joseph hugged his son back, but gently so that he wouldn't hurt him. After the hug, Joseph set Ryan on the ground, but he kept his one claw hand on his son's shoulder. _

"_Daddy what happened? Why are you so big and look like a lizard?" Young Ryan asked. _

_Joseph chuckled a bit, and then he placed his other clawed hand on Ryan's head, and he was able to show him a few glimpses of how being in the forest altered his appearance, and that people who enter the forest are usually affected the same way if they stood long. After removing his hand from Ryan's head. Young Ryan understood and he nodded._

"_Oh okay. I'll tell mommy when I go home so that she doesn't... have to... w-worry... daddy," Young Ryan said, as his body started to grow limp and he became dizzy. _

_Joseph caught Young Ryan before he fell, and young Ryan asked, _

"_D-Daddy... everything is spinning... do I have to go?" _

_Joseph grew concerned for his son when Ryan's eyes flickered red a few times. He nodded to his son's question, and then he ran towards where his son came from to enter the forest._

-Back to the present, as Ryan is telling the story-

"My mom was able to assume that I went to the forest after she sent Marcell to search the village. She was just outside the forest when my dad came out with me and placed me on the ground. My mom ran to me, and my dad backed away from her. She later told me the next day that she saw that I was okay, besides my eyes that stood permanently red. She also told me a few years later that, when she saw my father, that she didn't recognize him until she looked into his eyes. As much as she wanted to be with him, and him with her, my dad shook his head and showed her his claws as he backed away. Also, apparently, my dad couldn't stay outside of the forest too long because the forest is what gives him strength to live on in the form he's in. My mother was happy that my dad was alive, but she was still angry because we were all suffering because we couldn't be together. And... that's why my eyes are red," Ryan said.

"That's an amazing, and yet, very sad story," Lloyd said, as he put the fire out.

"Yeah. Your story's the same too, but you at least have a happy ending. Mine hasn't come yet," Ryan said.

"Well, a happy ending doesn't always just come to you. I had to travel to Ninjago city and fight the Overlord to get my happy ending, even though it's still not over yet. But you should just be happy now, even if things haven't changed yet. I learned that from being with the Ninja, like how Auria taught me about the wind, and how we have peace already in ourselves. It depends on if we're willing to keep it, or let someone or something else take it from us," Lloyd said.

Ryan thought about that, and then he said, "Your right. I'll definitely keep that in mind... Let's hit the hay for tonight."

"Alright, but it has been a very uh, informative conversation," Lloyd said.

"Yeah. It was pretty nice to talk to someone around my age and experience," Ryan said.

"Yeah," Lloyd said.

Then he and Ryan ran up the tree trunks to their hamicks, since the hamicks were pretty high up between the trees.

"Night Lloyd," Ryan said.

"Night Ryan," Lloyd said, and then they both put on their vine blankets as they went to sleep.

**This was basically a chapter about Ryan. So now that you know him better, what do you guys think of him and his past?**


	77. Chapter 77 Flying High

-Next day, Raven-

_Raven dreamed of being in a dark place. It was just an endless space of darkness, although it seemed as though Raven was glowing in the darkness. She walked around though this void, but she couldn't find anything or anyone else there. It was very lonely being in such a dark place. _

_As she continued walking around, she heard an inaudible whisper. Raven followed where the whisper was coming from, and she saw a small light ahead of her. She ran towards the light because she wanted to get out of the pitch-black darkness. As she came closer to the light, she started to hear a little of what the disembodied whisper was saying, _

_'Can you hear my voice? Can you hear me speak? Don't get caught in this darkness... Don't let his evil win... you can fight back Raven. Remember that... but please... be strong... for Lloyd... he can't fight... alone... Don't fall to darkness..." _

"_What do you mean?" Raven asked, but before she could run any further, the light brightened up, and Raven had to close her eyes._

-Gasp-

Raven's eyes shot open as she woke up. She blinked a few times and saw that she was in a dark room with a black ceiling. Immediately, Raven sat up and realized that she wasn't on the Overlord's back with Darkness.

The room she was in was very large, and the floor was a black rug, while the walls were purple. The bed Raven was laying on had black sheets and a purple blanket on top, and it was centered to a wall that was opposite of the wooden door that led out of the room. There were two windows on the right wall with white shades and black curtains, and there was a large, wooden vanity on the opposite side of the windows that took up almost the whole wall. There was also a lamp-stand with a silver lamp that hung it's head downward on it, but it wasn't on.

It was pretty dark in the room, but it was visible enough for Raven to maneuver her way to the mahogany-wooden door and slowly unlock it. She pushed the door open slowly, and she saw a dark hallway that looked like it led to a balcony, but it was hard to tell since there was a white curtain that covered the entrance.

Raven quickly looked around to see that no one else was there, and then she quietly walked across the dark hallway to the curtain. She peered out from behind the curtain and noticed that the sky was dark, and that there were dark red and purple clouds spiraling around just above where she was. Raven recognized the sky and realized where she was. Then she looked ahead and noticed that it was indeed a balcony that was a semi-circle that stretched out just beyond the door with a gray, waist-high gate. Her eyes widened when she noticed that someone in a black hood stood near the edge of the balcony, looking out around the city.

For that moment she noticed him, Raven thought to go back into the room to find another way to escape. However, Raven was noticed by Darkness, and he slightly turned his head back and said,

"Oh your finally awake. How nice. It's actually morning, but since I've taken over Ninjago city well, it's been pretty **dark** since then. Heh heh heh."

Raven breathed in and out, and then she stepped passed the curtain and walked towards where Darkness was, although she kept her distance. Darkness turned towards her with his signature smirk, and said,

"Since your up now, I can finally show you around. Come, let's go."

Darkness extended his hand towards Raven, but she looked at him suspiciously and took a step back. Darkness chuckled and said,

"Come now dear, I have no reason to trick you, especially since I already caught you."

Raven thought about it, and she realized that it would be better if she was able to see the layout of Ninjago city so that she could escape. She turned towards Darkness, and then she reached out her hand and placed it on his. Darkness held Raven's hand, and he brought her hand to his lips, as he kissed it gently. Then Darkness pulled Raven towards him and held onto her by her waist as he jumped up on the gray railing. Raven looked below her and saw that they were on a dark tower that had a forest of vines that surrounded the bottom of it, besides the entrance to the tower. She realized that she was on the same tower that she saw when the Falcon's vision was being projected by Zane and Auria in the desert.

She was also surprised to see that she was on the tower, and how the ground was coming closer...

wait...

she was falling.

Raven realized that Darkness had jumped off the tower while holding onto her and she gasped as they were descending down the tower. By instinct, Raven grabbed onto Darkness and held him tightly, as he laughed, and then he whistled with his free hand.

A roar was heard, as Darkness and Raven were caught by the Overlord on his back, as he flew up a little higher.

"Ha Ha HA! Can you just feel the rush of the wind? It's invigorating!" Darkness shouted out, as he stood up on the Overlord's head with his arms extended out.

Raven looked at him in surprise, and Darkness turned towards her with a grin.

"You have the wind element a part of you yes? So you _can_ enjoy such a gracious moment in these winds," Darkness said, as he walked closer to Raven and knelt down besides her.

Raven looked away from him in annoyance, and Darkness chuckled and said,

"How interesting? You haven't spoken a word to me since I caught you. Are you really _so_ angry at me? It's not _my_ fault your special, especially you."

Raven turned towards Darkness with a raised eyebrow, and Darkness laughed and said,

"You still won't speak to me eh? Well alright, that's fine. I'm going to be talking most of the time anyway."

Then Darkness turned towards the Overlord and said, in a deeper voice, "Let's go Overlord."

"Yes master," the Overlord said, as he continued flying.

Lloyd and Ryan:

Lloyd and Ryan woke up very early, and they continued their journey towards Ninjago city. They were able to make it to the desert by noon, but when Lloyd was going to summon his Golden dragon, Ryan stopped him.

"Don't use your golden powers now. Darkness has been able to track you because of your powers," Ryan said, as he extended his arm in front of Lloyd.

"What? He's been keeping track of me because of my powers? How?" Lloyd asked.

Ryan brought his arm down and replied, "He can sense your golden energy whenever you use it more abundantly. That's how he found you guys in the forest, and before when we went to the Viporeon Pearl Sanctuary."

Lloyd's eyes widened in realization, and then he rubbed the back of his head in shame.

"Don't feel bad. It's not your fault. You didn't know," Ryan said.

Then Ryan took a small, round platinum-colored gem from his pocket and said,

"We'll take my ride."

Ryan added some of his power to the gem, which made it glow, and then he threw the gem away from him. The gem glowed brighter, and then it busted, as a vehicle appeared in it's place.

"Woah!" Lloyd said, when he saw Ryan's jet vehicle.

It was a cross between a motorcycle and jet plane. There were two large wheels that stood aligned under the oval-shaped body of the vehicle, and there were wings like a plane on the sides of the body that were a little longer than the body itself. The cockpit was oval shaped with one seat in the front, and another in the back that could hold two people. There was a steering wheel with multiple buttons on the dashboard, and gas and brake petals under it. The vehicle was all black, with a horizontal platinum line around the whole vehicle, even around the tips and edges of the wings. The wheels had platinum rims, and inside the cockpit was all beige, as well as the seats.

"That's awesome. I've never seen you use it before though," Lloyd said, as he and Ryan started walking towards it.

"I only use it to travel through the desert mostly. I rarely use it for traveling through the forest since I could just teleport," Ryan said.

Ryan and Lloyd jumped into the cockpit, Ryan in the front and Lloyd in the back, and then Ryan started the motor-jet. The cover of the cockpit, which is made of plastic instead of glass, closed over them, and then Ryan started driving forward. As the motor-jet accelerated in speed, it slowly started rising upward, until it was in mid-air, continuing to rise up.

"This is cool man. The seats are comfortable too," Lloyd said, as he looked around and could smell the odd, yet refreshing scent of new car smell.

"Yeah. I prefer to enjoy the journey in some comfort," Ryan said.

"The journey is just as important as the destination huh?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes," Ryan replied.

As Lloyd looked out the window at the gleaming desert sand, he realized how much better the view was from above than from below, especially when he actually had to travel through there when he was a kid searching for the Serpentine tombs. It wasn't very pleasant, especially without a vehicle. Then Lloyd noticed that Ryan was occasionally looking outside at the view.

"You like sight-seeing huh?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes. It's one of my favorite pastimes. You seem to enjoy them too," Ryan replied.

"Yeah, it's better from this view though. You can see everything," Lloyd said.

"I agree," Ryan said.

However, as Lloyd looked at the beautiful view from such a high height, he remembered when he took Raven over the ocean and desert with the Golden dragon, and even when Raven let him ride on Pearl with her. He remembered the fun that they had during those times, even when Kai and Flare came out of nowhere on Pearl's back. He also recalled with a sign when Raven kissed him on the cheek, and chuckled when he thought about how he and Raven found out that Kai and Flare had feelings for one another.

When Lloyd was with Raven, it was more fun and less... lonely. With the awesome powers that Lloyd has and being the chosen one, he realized that it could get pretty lonely being the only one with such powers. However, when Raven came along, they had much in common, which made him feel less lonely. Then when he found out that Raven was the Purple Ninja, a special ninja with unique powers, he felt even closer to her, since they were able to relate and understand each other more.

All of these sudden thoughts, memories, and feelings made Lloyd feel happy to re-experience them again, but then he felt a weight on his heart, as he remembered that Raven was kidnapped by Darkness. He placed his hand on his chest in a fist, since the weight on his heart was growing, and he closed his eyes as he breathed in and out slowly. Ryan was looking through the rear-view mirror that suddenly appeared, and he noticed Lloyd's gesture of pain. Ryan was able to see that Lloyd was thinking of Raven, and that it especially hurt him that she wasn't with him in that moment.

Ryan looked back towards the road, more determined, and said,

"Don't feel bad Lloyd. You'll get her back. I'll make sure you will... very soon."

Lloyd looked up, and then he looked ahead of the motor-jet, as he could see Ninjago city coming into view.


	78. Chapter 78 Breaking in

Dark Ninjago City:

"Here is a machine that uses a source of pure energy in creating whatever the user of the pure energy wants it to make. Like... how I wanted to create an army of Red-eyed Lizarians from this particular one, or how I wanted to create a moderately smaller army of Blue-eyed Lizarians from another one," Darkness said, as he walked around one of the C-shaped machines that the Vampires and Serpentine made.

Raven was watching and listening to him from ground-level, as the Overlord was resting on the ground behind her, so that she wouldn't run off.

"What do you think dear girl? Isn't it magnificent?" Darkness asked, although Raven didn't give him a reply.

"Oh dear girl, why don't you speak to me?" Darkness asked, as he walked towards Raven and stopped about two feet in front of her.

Raven looked away from him, but then she looked up at him and said,

"My name is not 'dear girl,' and I would appreciate it if you used my actually name, Darkness."

Darkness raised his arms up as he turned and walked around, while saying,

"Finally! She speaks!"

The Overlord chuckled, as Raven tried to hold back a giggle.

"Well de- Raven... I shall address you properly since you wish it," Darkness said, as he took a short bow to Raven.

Then he asked again, "So Raven, what _do_ you think of this machine?"

Raven replied, "It's interesting, how it works. Although, I wouldn't use it to make an army of evil monsters."

Darkness smirked and said, "Well, when your like me, you'll end up wanting to create such things. It's fun, and it welcomes creativity."

Then Darkness looked towards the Overlord and said, "Let's go up."

The Overlord nodded, and he stood up as he shook his head to loosen up a bit.

"Let's go... _dear_ Raven," Darkness said with a cheeky smile, as he gestured like a gentlemen for Raven to jump on the Overlord's back first, as she looked at him with annoyance.

After they both jumped on the Overlord, the dark dragon flew upward.

"Let's go check out a few more sites," Darkness said, and they flew onward, as Raven thought,

_'There has to be a way to escape... but I'll have to wait until the right time... I have a bad feeling about staying here for too long...'_

Ninja, Verpentine, and Vampires:

The Ninja were gathered together on deck to discuss plans on how to enter Dark Ninjago city without being bombarded by Lizarians. Sensei Reine, Terrin, Sensei Garmadon, Misako, Sensei Wu, Dr. Julien, and Marcell were also with the Ninja on deck.

"Alright everyone. We can't all enter Ninjago city because it would be too dangerous with the Lizarians being able to multiply with those machines. We would have to destroy the five machines first before we can send in the armies to fight. But we'll have to sneak into the city without being spotted by anyone, especially not by Silva, Kerrie, or Darkness," Sensei Reine said, as she was pointing to a map of a bird's eye view of Ninjago city that was on a table that was brought outside.

"This will be a stealth mission. A 'seek and destroy,' without being spotted," Sensei Garmadon added.

"This looks like the perfect job for a ninja," Kai said.

"Ninja and Kunoichi," Christa said, and the ninja and kunoichi looked towards one another and nodded.

"It would be best if you traveled by two's. Ninjago city is different then when we were last there, and I don't believe you girls have been to Ninjago city before," Sensei Wu said.

The kunoichi nodded in unison.

"Then each of the kunoichi should travel with one of the ninja to break the five machines," Misako said.

Kai and Flare looked towards one another, as well as Cole and Christa, and Zane and Auria. Jay looked towards Lucy, but then he saw that Lucy grabbed Nya and pushed her towards him with a wink, which made Jay smile.

"But Lucy, you need to follow one of the ninja so that you'll be able to help break one of the machines," Sensei Wu said.

"Wait a minute Sensei Wu. I remember that Silva requested for us to upgrade a security system that she had. I figured that if she was going to use it to keep Lucy locked up, then maybe I could add a secret function that would allow Lucy to tamper with it," Marcell said.

"What? You _really_ did that?" Jay asked, and Marcell nodded.

"I don't play games man," Marcell replied, as she placed her hand on her hip.

"Thank goodness your on our side," Cole said in relief, and the other Ninja agreed.

"Exactly, exactly. Now Lucy, I have a tracker thing that should be able to point you towards where the security system is. It can't track from a very far distance, so we'll have to drop you off in Ninjago city before it starts going off," Marcell said, as she handed Lucy the tracking device, which looked like a small tablet.

"Okay. I'll take the mission. I won't let you down," Lucy said, as she took the tracker with one hand and saluted her sister with the other.

Marcell also saluted Lucy.

"What about the last machine? There are four groups going for the machines and Lucy for the security system," Terrin said.

"I'll go for the last one," Sensei Garmadon said.

"And I will too," Misako said.

"Me too," Sensei Wu said.

"Okay, so you three will take care of the fifth machine," Sensei Reine said, as she was writing down the names of the groups who were breaking the machines on the map.

"What about the armies? What would we do with them while they're in the city?" Terrin asked Reine.

"We'll just have to wait for them outside of the city. If anything goes wrong, we'll be there to back them up," Sensei Reine said, and King Terrin nodded.

"Don't forget about me. I'm going to watch over the armies too," Marcell said, and Terrin and Reine nodded towards her.

"Then we have our objectives. Once we enter the city, there is no turning back, or backing down," Auria said, and everyone agreed.

"Father, will you be staying behind as well," Zane asked Dr. Julien.

"Yes. I think I would be most helpful if I stood with the armies. But I'll keep in contact with you, so if anything happens, just let me know, or I'll call you," Dr. Julien said with a smile, and Zane smiled back.

"Okay, let's get ready everyone. We're going back to Ninjago city," Cole said, and everyone agreed with a shout.

Dark Ninjago City (Raven and Darkness):

"Each of them has a unique function. You can tell by the color around their eyes," Darkness said, as he stood sitting on the Overlord's tail, which was curled around his body as he laid down.

Raven was on the ground floor, while a few Lizarians were gathered close to her. They were looking at her in interest, as she was looking at them while listening to what Darkness was saying. One of the Red-eyed lizarians came closer to Raven, as she moved her hand towards him. He started to smell her hand, and then he moved his head under her hand so that she could pet him. As Raven started stroking the lizarian's head, the other lizarians started coming closer to her so that she could pet them.

"Oh my, do you want me to pet all of you?" Raven said with a little smile, as she was petting each of the lizarians.

Darkness watched with a sly smile, as the Overlord watched with an amused expression. Then Darkness jumped down from the Overlord's tail, and he started walking towards Raven. Some of the lizarians saw that Darkness was approaching and they moved out of his way so that he could walk by. Raven was petting a Yellow-eyed Lizarian, and then Darkness stood next to her and saw that she was smiling. After she finished petting the lizarian, Raven turned towards Darkness, and her smile became an annoyed frown.

"You've got to admit, they're such cute little monsters aren't they?" Darkness asked, as he started petting a Blue-eyed lizarian's head.

"... yeah, they are cute," Raven said, as a Green-eyed lizarian nuzzled his head near her arm.

Then a Purple-eyed Lizarian approached Raven from the crowd. Raven looked at this specific lizarian, and she felt that something was a little different about this one... something deadly. The Purple-eyed lizarian looked towards Darkness for a moment, and Darkness nodded at her in approval. Then the Purple-eyed lizarian lowered her head as she came closer to Raven, and then she nuzzled the side of her face with her cheek. Raven was a little surprised that the tough lizarian was being sweet to her, and then she started to scratch her chin, which made her leg stomp the ground numerously.

"She likes you," Darkness said, and then he put his hand on Raven's shoulder, as all of the lizarians backed away.

"Let's go dear Raven. I have one more thing to show you," Darkness said, and then he grabbed her and jumped back high enough to land on the Overlord's back.

As the Overlord was getting ready to fly upward, Raven looked towards the lizarians and she thought,

_'They seem sociable, but I don't think that's their true nature most of the time. They're warriors, and bestial ones at that. Especially that Purple-eyed one... I don't trust her...'_

Lloyd and Ryan:

They just made it outside of Dark Ninjago city. Ryan returned his motor-jet to it's original gem form and put it in his pocket. They both stood looking at the dark city ahead of them.

"Are you ready?" Ryan asked.

"I am," Lloyd replied.

"The tallest, dark tower is probably where Darkness is keeping Raven. You should head over there first. Also, don't get caught _at ALL_. Stay in the shadows. When I shut down the security system, you'll be able to move more freely, and you'll be able to climb the tower without the cameras catching you," Ryan said.

"I got it. Stay close to the shadows, and wait for your signal when the cameras are out to move ahead," Lloyd said.

"Alright. You know your mission right?" Ryan said, and he turned his head towards Lloyd.

"Find Raven, and get her out of here," Lloyd said.

"Your going to do that mission right?" Ryan asked, while still looking towards Lloyd.

"Yes," Lloyd replied.

"_Only_ that mission. You'll find Raven and go. No picking fights right?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah," Lloyd replied.

After a moment of silence, Lloyd turned towards Ryan, and he noticed that Ryan was looking at him with a skeptical look.

"Wha- I got it Ryan! No picking fights, just get Raven and go. I got it," Lloyd said, with his hands up defensively.

"... okay, good. Let's go now," Ryan said, as he turned towards the city.

"Right," Lloyd said, and then both guys ran towards Dark Ninjago city and separated.


	79. Chapter 79 Three, Two, One GO

Lloyd:

_'I'll save you Raven. I'll get you out of here,'_ Lloyd thought, as he stood in a shadowy place, while having a clear view of the dark tower.

He noticed that most of the lizarians weren't around the area he was in.

_'Come on Ryan. Shut down the security system. I have the perfect opportunity to make a break for it,'_ Lloyd thought, as he stood out of sight.

Ryan:

_'I'm not too far now. I just hope __**she's**__not there... but maybe, it would be better if mother __**is**__there now,' _Ryan thought, as he jumped and teleported past a few more buildings.

_'There it is,'_ Ryan thought when he saw the security building.

It was a two story building that was buried up to the second floor in dirt, which made it look like a one floor building on a hill. The visible part of the Security System building was composed of three rooms, not including the bathroom in the back, and there were three towers on top of it. The three towers were three different sizes, and they comprised of metal beams that were welded together, and each were in cone-shapes, with the top pointed towards the sky. There were three windows side-by-side in front of the building that were darkened so that you couldn't see inside, and there was the entrance to the right-side of the building, and a back entrance to the further left side.

As Ryan approached this building, he saw that the cameras that were just above the windows pointed towards him. Then he heard the front entrance door open, with a metallic squeak, as he saw his mother step outside.

"Ryan, my boy!" Silva said with a smile, as she walked a little down the hill towards her son.

"Mother," Ryan said, and then they hugged.

"Oh, I was worried about you Ryan. I came to the city and you weren't here," Silva said, as they separated from the hug.

"Mother, I've had time to think and... I've decided to help the ninja. I'm not working with Darkness anymore," Ryan said, and Silva gasped.

"What? Your changing sides? But Ryan... why?" Silva asked, with concern.

"Mother, look around us. Look at what we've helped accomplish. Darkness has taken control over Ninjago city, and he's just getting started. He wants the whole world, mother. But I don't think he wants to just rule it..." Ryan said, as he turned from Silva, and he put his hand near his chest in a clenched fist.

"I feel it every time I'm near him. It was much smaller before, but now I'm sensing it grow. Mother, Darkness isn't right... he isn't normal, he's not just some guy who went bad... something inside of him is red hot and craves destruction... We can't help him accomplish his full plan Mother. Although I'm not certain of what his real plan is, I can't shake the feeling that it's going to be REALLY bad... even for us," Ryan said, which made Silva's eyes widen.

Then Ryan turned towards his mother and gently placed his right hand on her left shoulder and said, "Mother, I love you. I don't want you to get hurt, especially not from Darkness and his twisted plans. We have to get out of this now. I'm going to help the Ninja, but if you don't want to then... then can you please get as far away from here as possible? Please mother?"

Silva saw the sincerity in Ryan's eyes, and then she signed.

"Ryan, I can understand that you wouldn't want me to get hurt, but I'm a mother and your my child. I would never leave you alone, especially when you need me most," Silva said, and then she placed her hand on Ryan's hand.

"I've been having second thoughts lately too, but I didn't know how to go about it. If what you say is true, which I believe it is, then we haven't the time to dawdle," Silva said.

Then they heard a 'Wooooo' sound, as they turned towards the Security System building. They both gasped in surprise when they saw who was stepping outside of the building.

"Lucy?" Ryan asked the Cyan kunoichi.

"-Gasp- Ryan! It's so great to see you!" Lucy said, as she ran towards him and gave him a hug.

"What are you doing here Lucy?" Silva asked.

Lucy released Ryan and replied, "I had to complete my mission to shut down the Security Sys- -Gasp!- Oh no! I wasn't supposed to tell you guys that!"

"It's alright Lucy. I decided to help the Ninja. I already brought Lloyd here to the city," Ryan said, as he brought out a walkie-talkie from his pocket.

"You did?" Silva asked in surprise.

"Lloyd. Go," Ryan said over the walkie-talkie, and Lloyd replied over it,

"Roger that."

"Wow! You made a plan too," Lucy said, with a big smile.

"What plan did you and the Ninja think of?" Silva asked Lucy.

"Oh! I was going to shut down the Security System, and then the Ninja would be able to sneak into the city to destroy the C-machines," Lucy replied.

"C-machines? You mean the Lizarian Spawners, the C-shaped mechanisms?" Silva asked, and Lucy nodded.

"Oh no," Silva said, as she placed her hand on the side of her face.

"What is it mother?" Ryan asked.

"The Lizarian Spawners are rigged. Darkness took precautions that, if someone tried to destroy them and succeeded, that they would release a shadow mist to engulf the person or persons in nightmares! The Ninja are in danger of that Nightmare Shadow mist!" Silva said quickly, and Lucy gasped as Ryan's eyes widened.

"No! The Ninja! My friends!" Lucy said, as she turned to go, but then Ryan grabbed a hold of her arm.

"Lucy, you can't go alone. The mist is dangerous if you get caught in it, especially since Darkness made it," Ryan said.

"But my peoples need me. I can't let them get hurt!" Lucy said, in worry.

"And I can't let _you_ get hurt. I care about you too much to risk losing you!" Ryan said, which made Lucy gasp in shock, and Silva's eyes widened as she took a couple of steps back in surprise.

"R-Ryan... You care about me that way?" Lucy asked, and Ryan signed and nodded.

"I do Lucy. For a long time I've had feelings for you. That's why I can't let you go," Ryan said.

Lucy looked into Ryan's eyes, as he looked into her's. Then Lucy smiled and hugged Ryan, as he hugged her back.

"Ryan, I didn't realize how much you cared... and to tell you the truth..." Lucy said, as they parted from the hug.

Then Lucy gave Ryan a quick kiss on the cheek, which surprised him.

"I love you," Lucy said, and Ryan held his hand on his cheek in shock.

Then Lucy closed her eyes, and her body started to glow a bright light blue. Silva and Ryan watched in amazement, as power surged through Lucy, and then it calmed down.

"What was that?" Silva asked, and then they were able to see Lucy more clearly.

Lucy's gi had changed: her shoulder armor turned into a gold color with more rounded shoulder spikes, her gloves and belt turned golden-colored, and the rest of her clothes were cyan, with the Staff of Raining Waters drawn in gold on her shirt, and white waves that were drawn moving towards the top of the staff.

Lucy looked at her clothes, and then she looked up with determination and said, "I've finally reached my Full Potential. I can feel this new power surging through me... You don't have to worry Ryan, I'll be able to save the Ninja _and_ be safe myself. I will return with them!"

Lucy turned and started running off before Ryan or Silva could protest. Then she jumped up and summoned a vehicle that she drove away in.

After a minute to process this, Silva turned towards Ryan and said,

"She's a keeper my boy."

Ryan looked towards his mother and nodded.

Ninja:

"Where's that C-machine anyway? We've been walking in circles Kai?" Flare asked the fire ninja.

"No, we haven't been walking in circles, and I'm not exactly sure where it is," Kai replied, as he was looking around at the buildings.

"This place is a dump! I would think it would be better taken care of then this," Flare said with her arms up towards the broken and burnt buildings.

"Ninjago city _was_ taken care of better then this. Darkness really took a toll on it," Kai said, nearly whispering the last half of what he said.

Flare signed and said, "I really would have liked to see the city in it's full glory."

Kai turned towards Flare and said, "Hopefully when this is all over and the city is fixed again, I can give you a tour, if you'd like."

Flare nodded and said, "You mean, you _will_ give me a tour later."

Kai nodded and said, "Yeah, right. I will. I promise."

Then Kai and Flare turned the corner and saw one of the Lizarian Spawners.

"Well what do you know. I may get a tour earlier then expected," Flare said with a smile.

Kai nodded towards her, and then they quickly ran towards the machine.

"Let's break it down," Kai said, and then Flare took out a walkie-talkie from her pocket and asked,

"Is everyone in position?"

"We are." -Christa

"We are." -Auria

"We're ready." -Jay

"We're good to go." -Sensei Wu

"Okay everyone, get ready. In three..." Flare began the countdown, as she held her Shadow Scimitar in her left hand and Kai held his fire sword, both aiming towards the machine.

"Two..." Flare said, and the others over the walkie-talkie were preparing their weapons to destroy the machines.

"One... NOW!" Flare yelled out, as she put her walkie-talkie in her pocket.

All of the Ninja and Senseis simultaneously attacked the Lizarian Spawners.

Lloyd:

_'I'm coming Raven!'_ Lloyd thought, as he ran up the dark tower.

He noticed that the tower looked as though it changed from when he first saw it. There was a black spiral staircase that protruded on the outside of the tower, and it went from the bottom of the tower to a lone balcony on top. Lloyd decided to take the spiral staircase around the tower. He had a feeling that Raven was up there.


	80. Chapter 80 Awakened Silver

**I was going to post this tomorrow, but my excitement couldn't be contained. **

**Enjoy.**

Raven (About twenty minutes earlier):

"This tower is very flexible to what I want. I can change it's form multiple times as I see fit. I can even add things to it, like so," Darkness said to Raven, as they rode on the Overlord's back next to the tower.

Then he picked up his hand and it turned dark blue and gray, as stair came forth around the tower and spiraled upward from the entrance to the balcony.

"Fascinating eh?" Darkness asked, and Raven nodded.

"Alright my dear. There's something in your room in the closet. It's a gift for you," Darkness said, as the Overlord landed on the balcony.

Then Darkness and Raven jumped off of the Overlord's back, and he took off back into the skies.

"Go ahead Raven. I'll wait here for you," Darkness said, and Raven nodded and turned towards the white curtain as she entered back into the tower.

She crossed the hallway, and then she entered the room that she first woke up in when Darkness brought her to Dark Ninjago city. She turned towards the closet doors, and opened them up. Her jaw dropped when she saw what was inside. Then she grabbed it out and looked at it carefully.

"But, but... wait a minute... I have to ask him," Raven said out loud.

After about ten minutes, Raven went back outside to see Darkness. His back was turned, but when she was about five feet away, Darkness turned around to see her. He smirked when he saw that she wore the gift he gave her:

It was a new ninja gi. The suit was all purple, with the face of a silver dragon drawn in silver on the front. The eyes of the dragon were all silver with a black slit for the pupil, and there were two dominant horns that curled back and around like a ram's horns, and two top fangs that were long enough to reach just passed the chin, as well as two bottom fangs that were long enough to reach just above the mouth. Each side of the Silver dragon's face was symmetrical to a purple tornado that went vertical on the center. The silver part of the dragon faded out from silver to purple on the rest of the suit. The sleeves had black and silver bands around them up to the shoulders, where two rounded and silver shoulder armors were placed on top. There was a purple belt that wrapped around the waist, and a silver sash that was attached from the left shoulder to the right side of the waist on her back, which could be used to hold a weapon. There was also a black compartment bag attached to the left leg that could hold extra items, and black leg wrappings on the right leg.

Darkness was pleased that Raven wore the suit, but then he noticed that her expression was more grim and slightly frightened.

"What's the matter Raven? You don't like it?" Darkness asked.

"No, no, I _do_ like this suit. It's very nice. I was just wondering... where did you get it from?" Raven asked, slowly looking up towards Darkness.

Darkness arched an eye-brow with a smile and replied, "Where? I didn't get it from anywhere. I made it myself."

Raven cringed a bit when she heard his answer. Darkness noticed her react and he asked, in a more devious tone,

"What's the matter Raven? You look a bit pale."

Raven gulped and said, "But why... the scrolls said that he was defeated..."

Then Raven backed up, as Darkness slowly stepped towards her with a devious smile and said,

"Oh dear girl, I can see it in your eyes. You know the answer to the _real_ question that you want to ask. But let me enlighten you anyway if you missed a detail..."

Darkness and Raven started to circle around while looking towards each other: Raven looked at him with fear, while Darkness looked at her with amusement at her fear.

Then Darkness continued, "Did you think I showed you around here for no reason? NO! I wanted you to see the land that I was going to give to you when you join me! Do you understand now dear Raven? Do you ssssssee how much more we have in common?!"

Darkness spoke his last sentence while revealing a snake-like tongue and fangs. Raven gasped and held her hands close to her mouth, as she saw the similar serpent-like tongue and fangs like her own.

"N-No..." Raven said in a slightly shaken voice, and Darkness smiled much more darkly.

"As you are part Black Mambian, _I _am part Black Mambian!" Darkness said, as they stopped circling around.

Then Darkness started slowly walking towards Raven, as she backed up into the railing of the balcony, and she kept her hands in front of her, in fear of what he had said. Then Darkness walked a few more steps towards her and said,

"And as _you_ are the Purple Ninja... I am the FIRST Purple Ninja!"

Raven gasped and shouted, "No. NO. NOOOO!"

-BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM!-

Five loud thundering sounds were heard, as Darkness and Raven looked out among the city and saw five shadow mists in five separate locations.

"Ah, your ninja and kunoichi friends have broken the Lizarian Spawners. Too bad no good will come out of it for them, ssssssince I left a little surprise in each machine," Darkness said in a dark and amused tone, as Raven looked at him in shock.

"Wh-What have you done?" Raven asked.

"Nothing you wouldn't eventually do," Darkness said with a cheeky grin.

"You... I am NOTHING like YOU! I would never become as heartless and as horrid as YOU ARE!" Raven shouted, as she took a step towards Darkness.

Darkness started to laugh in a rebounding voice, which surprised Raven, but then she remembered that being the Purple ninja, Sound would be one of the elements that he could use.

"I ussssed to be noble and generoussss like you, but I realized how life was cruel to even the kindessssst of people, and that no matter what I had done to save everyone, it made no difference that I was SSSSTILL a monster," Darkness said with a more serious expression, and he opened his mouth a little wider to show his serpent-like tongue and fangs.

Raven was taken aback by what Darkness said. Then Raven said,

"But not everyone is like that. Not everyone rejects us just because we're different. There had to be _ssssomeone_ who cared about you," Raven said.

Darkness turned away from Raven for a moment, and then he started to laugh slowly, and then loudly. Then Darkness turned towards her with a dark expression and a smile, and he said,

"There were some who still cared, even when they found out about what I was... one in particular who cared about me the most... but in the end, what did it matter? I was a monster to everyone around us, around the Mountain villages and Aeroplane. My behavior towards their fear and rejection was indeed monstrous... but they deserved it... they **ALL deserved IT!**"

The sky was growing darker, and a rapid wind was picking up around where Darkness and Raven were. Raven was shielding her forehead and eyes from the wind, as Darkness walked closer to her and extended his hand towards her, and asked,

"Raven! You know the looks of fear, and you know the pain of being rejected by people for what you are! Join me Raven! Let us put an end to that pain, and let us give everyone a true REASON to FEAR us! Join me! And you won't have to live in suffering anymore! We can make Ninjago... **in our OWN image!**"

Raven took a step back in surprise, but she looked down and breathed out slowly. Then Raven looked up at Darkness and took a few steps closer to him.

"It hurt. It hurt every time someone ran away..." Raven said, and Darkness' grin widened.

From right below the left side of the balcony on the stairs that led to it, a lone ninja stood listening in shock and surprise.

"It hurt to see people run or avoid me. Even when I would help them. I had to always hide my true identity so that others wouldn't know what I was, and they wouldn't be afraid... I had to hide being me..." Raven said, and then she stopped walking, and Darkness raised an eyebrow.

Then Raven looked at Darkness with more fierceness and determination and said, "But as I said before... I will NOT become like YOU! I can see that there are people who are afraid, but their opinions don't matter! I know who I am and I accept myself, and my family and friends accept me too. People can say what they want, I know the truth and so does my loved ones... I am the Purple kunoichi Raven! The Black Mambian's daughter, and you will NOT take over the world! I know my destiny is to save the world and to stop YOU, and that's what I'm going to do!"

Raven clenched her fists, as purple energy began to gather up, but then the purple energy was overtaken by silver energy, as it encircled Raven's body. Darkness jumped back a few feet, and then a bursting light emitted from Raven. When the light faded a bit, Darkness' eyes widened when he saw the Silver dragon standing before him with fierceness in it's black-slit eyes. Raven stood on the back of the Silver dragon, looking at Darkness with the same fierceness in her eyes.

Darkness looked at Raven in surprise, but then he slowly started to chuckle, and then he started to laugh.

"FINALLY! So long it's been since the pure form of the Silver dragon has been unleashed. But what's even better is to see such a magnificent creature from _this_ side! Ah hahahahaha!" Darkness said.

The Silver dragon roared with a mighty force of power that shook the ground that they were standing on.

"So you wish to tussle? Then let's BEGIN!" Darkness said as he jumped off the balcony. Then Darkness flew up while riding on the Overlord's back.

"Let's see if the current Purple kunoichi is a match for the First Purple Ninja!" Darkness said, as the Overlord roared.

Then Raven flew up with the Silver dragon and said, "Let's see then!"

Both dragons flew towards one another, as the two Purple ninja began their mid-air battle.


	81. Chapter 81 Breaking Heroes (1)

Ninja:

**Cole:**

"Ugh... What just happened?" Cole said, as he was picking himself up from off the ground.

He looked around to see that he was surrounded by dark clouds of black and purple.

"What the? What's going on? Christa... Christa! Where are you?!" Cole called out, as he spun around a few times to look for the Yellow kunoichi.

"Heh heh heh heh. What's wrong Black ninja? Can't find your lovely Yellow kunoichi?" A dark voice asked from the darkness around Cole, as he looked around to find the source.

Then Cole held out his Platinum Scythe and asked, "Who are you? Where are you? Show yourself!"

"Ha ha ha ha! Are you getting scared? Does your spine quiver in fear? Are you losing your balance?" A familiar voice taunted, and then a shadow tripped Cole onto his face.

"AH! What are you talking about?! I'm not afraid of you, Darkness!" Cole yelled out, as he tried to stand up with his scythe.

"Oh please. You don't even know what fear is. Let me introduce you to _your_ fears!" Darkness said from the shadows.

Then the ground under Cole's feet began to rumble, and it became soft like mud. Cole tried to get away from the mud, but the mud grabbed his feet and held him to the ground.

"What the?" Cole said, as he tried to pull his feet up.

Then Cole started to look around when he heard different voices calling his name.

"Wait... guys... Guys?! Is that you?" Cole asked when he recognized the voices.

"Cole!" -Kai

"Help us!" -Raven

"Please!" -Auria

"Save us Cole!" -Flare

"Where are you?!" -Zane

"HELP!" -Jay

"GUYS! Where are you?! I can't see you!" Cole yelled out, as he struggled to get out of the mud, but to no avail.

"Cole!" Sensei Garmadon

"Where are you?!" -Misako

"Where did you go?!" -Sensei Wu

"Why did you leave us?!" -Jay

"Why are you letting us down?!" -Nya

"Why can't you save us?!" -Lucy

"WAIT! GUYS! I'm right here!" Cole shouted to the shifting darkness around him.

"Why you left us Cole?!" -Lloyd

"Save ME!" -Raven

"LLOYD! RAVEN! I'm here! I'M HERE!" Cole shouted in distress, as he used his platinum scythe to cut the mud off of his feet.

Then Cole started running towards where the voices were coming from and shouted,

"I'm coming guys! I'M COMING!"

"Save ME! HELP!" -Raven

"COLE! HELP US!" -Lloyd

"SAVE ME!" -Raven

"NOO!" -Lloyd

The shadows around Cole were rumbling and thundering, as he ran with all of his might to where he was hearing the voices. Then he saw a dim light, as he ran towards it, but right before he made it, the shadows tripped him again. He fell face-forward, and then he quickly tried to get up, but the mud returned and it held Cole down on his hands and knees.

"UH! GET OFF!" Cole shouted, as he struggled against the mud, but it was too strong.

Then Cole looked up when he heard sniffles. His eyes widened in shock and agony, as he saw Lloyd on his knees, while Raven laid motionless in his arms. Tears flowed from Lloyd's eyes, as he held onto Raven's motionless form and cried. They were both covered in mud stains, scratches, and bruises.

"No... No. This can't be..." Cole said in an almost whisper.

Then Lloyd looked up at him, and said with anger,

"YOU! It's your FAULT! You didn't come! It's _YOUR_ FAULT!"

"No. I couldn't I-I... th-the mud and Darkness and..." Cole said in a shaken voice.

"Excuses. Your full of excuses!" Kai's voice was heard from the shadows, as he stepped outside of them.

"Kai!" Cole said, and then the other ninja and kunoichi stepped out from the shadows, with grim and angry looks on their faces.

"Guys! Help me. Darkness is doing something! Let me help!" Cole said.

"LET YOU HELP?! Your the reason that she's GONE!" Flare shouted at Cole, as she pointed to Raven's still form.

"N-No. NO! This isn't right! This isn't right!" Cole shouted, as his body started to tremble.

"You were supposed to be our leader! Why didn't you LEAD US!" Jay shouted at him.

"NO! I'm here! This can't be real, IT CAN'T BE!" Cole shouted out, as his heart pounded in his chest.

"It's your fault... She's gone because of you..." A nicer but mellow voice said, as Cole looked just passed Lloyd and Raven, and he saw Christa, with a grim expression.

"Christa please! You know I wouldn't have let this happen! I would've saved her! I would have saved ALL OF YOU!" Cole said, as tears gathered around his eyes.

Then Christa said, "I thought I could trust you... I thought you were strong... but... but you left us... and now she's GONE!"

Christa fell on her knees and started to cry, while the other ninja and kunoichi looked at Cole with disdain and malice, as they started walking towards him.

"PLEASE LISTEN TO ME CHRISTA! GUYS PLEASE!" Cole screamed out, as his tears began to fall one by one.

"You betrayed us. You don't deserve to talk to her... or to speak to _any_ of us!" Lloyd said, as he gently placed Raven on the ground, and then he started walking towards Cole.

"No..." Cole said, as the ninja and kunoichi surrounded him.

"Shut your mouth!" Lloyd yelled out, as his eyes turned red, as well as the others with him.

Then the ninja and kunoichi began to punch, kick, and smack Cole around, as he screamed out for them to stop. He looked passed them and saw that Raven was still motionless on the ground, and that Christa was crying next to her.

"AAAHHHHH!" Cole screamed out in pure agony and pain, as a laughter was heard from beyond the crowd.

The shadow of Darkness, which looks like him but with shadow mist as feet, laughed as he watched Cole's suffering.

**Christa:**

Christa was looking around the shadows for Cole. She was worried about him, and she kept searching and calling his name. Then she heard a laughing in the shadows, and she saw a shadow of Darkness with his hands on the back of his head, laying back as if he was on a hamick.

"Darkness! What are you doing here?" Christa asked in a fierce tone, as she readied her Platinum gauntlets to fight.

"Woah woah! Calm down Princess Christa. There's no need to rush. Don't fall off the edge like your sister did," Darkness said casually, as Christa's eyes widened and she gasped.

"How... How DARE YOU!" Christa yelled out, as she clapped her gauntlets together and a sound wave shot out towards Shadow Darkness, and he disappeared right before contact.

Then Shadow Darkness reappeared and said, "Oh dear lady, forgive me for being too rude. I should be more considerate... oh wait, I don't have to be. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!"

Christa pouted and said, "Your such an inconsiderate jerk!"

Shadow Darkness looked at Christa with a dashing smile and said, "Yes, yes I am. That's why I'm going to do this."

Shadow Darkness pointed towards the ground in front of Christa, and a shadow rose up from the ground. It's eyes were glowing yellow, while the rest of it's form was a combination of gray and black.

"What the-AH!" Christa said in surprise, as she realized that the shadow was a shadow version of herself.

"You've always felt guilt for what happened to your sister, until recently unfortunately. But, I can sense some guilt in you: like for letting Raven get captured, for not anticipating my plan of capturing her sooner, and even the predicament you and your allies are in now. You feel that you should be strong enough to take care of everyone, especially since it is in your nature to help others in need," Shadow Darkness said, and then he teleported behind her.

"But when you fail to help someone, it hurts to see that person hurt, and it hurts more to know that you couldn't help them... almost like how you couldn't save your sister," Shadow Darkness said, as he placed his hand on Christa's shoulder.

Then Christa spun around to punch Shadow Darkness, as he disappeared again.

"I know that I couldn't save Auria, and I know that it wasn't my fault. I was only a child, I wouldn't have known what to do, and Auria saved me because she cares. Auria's sacrifice is what made me want to help other people even more, and even from that terrible situation, good still came out of it for all of us!" Christa said, as she looked towards her shadow when the shadow took a step towards her.

"Heh heh heh heh heh. Such powerful words... but can you back them up?" Shadow Darkness asked from the shadows, and then Shadow Christa slipped on a dark version of the Platinum gauntlets.

Then Shadow Christa ran towards Christa, ready to punch, as Christa ran towards her.

"Bring it!" Christa shouted.

Some minutes later:

"AAH!" Christa screamed out, as she went flying into a shadow wall that came out of nowhere.

She laid on the ground for a moment, as she tried to get up.

During her fight with her shadow, at first, they weren't landing any hits on one another, but then Christa landed an upper-cut on her shadow. However, when Shadow Christa was in the air and Christa jumped above her, Shadow Christa spun around and grabbed Christa's leg. Then Shadow Christa pulled Christa downward so that she was below her, and then she used a sound wave punch to hit Christa downward. Yet, before Christa could hit the ground, Shadow Christa appeared below her and raised her fist upward. Christa landed, stomach-side down, on Shadow Christa's fist, as she gasped from the impact and pain of landing. Shadow Christa quickly stepped back, and before Christa could fall towards the ground, she jumped up and kicked Christa away with a sound-enhanced kick. Christa went flying into the shadow wall and landed on the ground.

"Well, I guess holding to your previous words is proving too difficult for you," Shadow Darkness said, as he stood sitting on the gray shadow wall while looking down at Christa.

Christa tried to get up, but the pain from the strike to the stomach was immense, and she fell back on the ground.

"Aww... poor, dear princess. You don't have the strength to stand against yourself? Maybe it's because you know that, deep down, your a failure," Shadow Darkness said in an almost whisper, with a smirk.

Christa stood on her elbows, as she thought about what Shadow Darkness had just said. Then she shook her head and said,

"No. Your... Your wrong. I'm n-not a failure..."

"Are you sure about that? Because from the looks of things, _your_ the one who's on the ground, and _she_ isn't finished yet," Shadow Darkness said, as he looked up at Shadow Christa.

Christa also looked up at her shadow self, and then her eyes widened when she saw the ninja and kunoichi standing behind Shadow Christa.

"G-Guys?" Christa asked, and then Shadow Christa started approaching her with her gauntlets faced up.

Christa's eyes changed from surprise to shock when she saw that the other ninja and kunoichi were changing into shadow versions of themselves, with glowing red eyes.

"Your alone Christa. There's no one to save you this time. Your all ALONE!" Shadow Darkness said, as he started to laugh.

Christa heard the other ninja and kunoichi laughing with Shadow Darkness, as Shadow Christa continued walking towards her with a more devious expression and glowing gauntlets.

"**You... can't... escape... yourSELF**!" Shadow Christa said, as she stood before Christa, ready to attack.

"N-No..." Christa said, as tears started streaming down her cheeks.


	82. Chapter 82 Breaking Heroes (2)

**Zane:**

"Auria! Where are you?" Zane called out to the shadows that surrounded him.

He continued walking around, searching for Auria and a way out of the shadow mist that surrounded him.

"What is this? Am I in a new environment? Or do I still reside within Ninjago city?" Zane was asking himself, as he continued searching for a way out.

"You ask a lot of questions huh?" A familiar voice was heard from the shadows.

Zane whiped out his Platinum Ice Shurikens, as he turned to see a shadow version of Darkness looking at him with an amused expression and crossed arms.

"Darkness. What have you done?" Zane asked, as he readied himself to fight.

"Woah. I would think you being the master of ice and all, that you would be slow to fight. But then again, it's probably in your programming," Shadow Darkness said.

Zane's grip tightened on his shurikens, as they started to glow brighter.

"Oh, did I hit a circuit? Or was it a fuse?" Shadow Darkness asked with a smug smirk, as Zane looked at him with annoyance.

"What is this mist? And where is Auria?" Zane asked, in all seriousness.

"Ooooh. Worried about the princess huh? That's funny. A robotic substitute for a living being actually _caring_ about someone? What an impossibility," Shadow Darkness said, as he shook his head slowly.

"You diminish my existence and feelings as folly, but your cruelty and arrogance are nothing to be proud of," Zane said.

Shadow Darkness' eyes widened at Zane's comeback, but then he started laughing.

"HA! Your fortitude is strong, but I'm sure it would be much more stable if you were an actual living person," Shadow Darkness said, with a dark grin.

Then Zane heard some movement behind him, as he turned to see what was there.

"Your just a machine..." Shadow Darkness said, and then a giant black claw rose from under Zane's feet.

Zane jumped away before the claw could grab him. However, when Zane landed on the ground, another claw tried to grab him, and he back flipped away from it. Then smaller black claws started coming from the mist to grab Zane, as he dodged and cut the limbs off of the dastardly hands. Yet, the hands kept on coming, and they surrounded him. However, Zane hit the ground with his Platinum shurikens, and the ground and claws all became encased in ice.

"Your a robot... a machine. You can't last long," Shadow Darkness' voice was heard echoing in the shadows.

Cracks were heard, as the black claws busted out of the ice, and Zane shielded himself from the projectile pieces of ice that flew all around. Then Zane felt something clamp to his foot, as he saw that one of the smaller claws had grabbed his leg. He cut the hand with his shuriken, but then a dozen more hands encircled him, and each one grabbed Zane. Each claw held onto Zane's wrists, ankles, elbows, knees, abdomen, and neck. They lifted him up at a sixty degree angle, as Zane struggled to free himself from their grip.

"I told you didn't I?" Shadow Darkness said, as he appeared floating a couple of feet from Zane.

"This won't hold me back for long!" Zane said, as he continued to struggle.

"You may be right... so let's make sure that you can't escape," Shadow Darkness said, as he snapped his fingers.

In that moment, the claw hands that held onto Zane's wrist started to pull back with much force, as Zane tried to pull against it. However, Zane wasn't strong enough to pull back for long, and then

SNAP!

Zane's hands were disconnected from his arms, as the claw hands held his hands before his eyes.

"Wha-What? What are you doing?!" Zane asked in panic, and Shadow Darkness smirked and said,

"Making sure you won't escape, and the best way to do that is to take you apart. Considering that your a robot, I'm sure you'll survive."

Then the claw hands that held Zane's left leg started to pull back, as Zane tried to pull away.

"N-No! You can't do this!" Zane pleaded, as his left leg was detached from his body.

Shadow Darkness started laughing, as the claws that held onto Zane's right arm started pulling back hard until his arm was pulled off.

"AH!" Zane yelped, as the claws that held each of his limbs were waving them around in front of him.

"Wait a minute!" Shadow Darkness said, and the claws with Zane's limbs moved away.

Shadow Darkness floated closer to Zane, as the claw that held Zane's abdomen opened up, although it stood there so that Zane wouldn't fall. Then Shadow Darkness opened up the center compartment of Zane, where his multiple switches and inner mechanisms were. Zane was quickly trying to analyze the situation so that he could anticipate Shadow Darkness' intentions. Then Zane's eyes widened when he realized what Shadow Darkness could possibly do.

"I can see in your eyes what your thinking... and you are correct," Shadow Darkness said with a devious smirk, as he slowly reached for Zane's memory switch.

"No! Please don't! My memories are a vital establishment in my personality and overall self!" Zane pleaded.

"Oh I'm completely aware of that... that's why I'm going to do it anyway. Ha Ha Ha HA HA!" Shadow Darkness said, and then he flipped the memory switch.

"NOOO!" Zane cried out, and he struggled to escape as he could see all of his memories fading away right before his eyes.

Shadow Darkness continued to laugh, as Zane slowly stopped struggling until his mind could not recall anything... even who he was.

**Auria:**

'_Where is he?_' Auria thought, as she searched for Zane through the shadow mist.

"Shall thee lady search the endless mist for her mechanical love forever?" A familiar voice whispered from the shadows, as Auria turned around to hear what the voice was saying.

"I'm sure I won't have to search for long, Darkness," Auria replied, and then Shadow Darkness emerged from the shadows.

"Probably. But time shouldn't make much of difference to you, since your not fully human anyway," Shadow Darkness said casually.

Auria's eyes closed slightly, as she looked at Darkness with furrowed brows.

"Did I hit a nerve princess?" Shadow Darkness asked with a cheeky grin.

"... I'm not sure if it's mechanical or not, but you've only annoyed me a bit," Auria said casually.

"Oooo, you've coped... Heh heh heh. Or have you?" Shadow Darkness asked, as he disappeared.

Auria looked around to see where Shadow Darkness could have disappeared to.

"These shadows... this dark place... isn't it familiar Auria? Doesn't this atmosphere remind you of someplace?" Shadow Darkness' voice echoed from the shadows.

Auria pondered what Shadow Darkness was saying, while keeping her Platinum Wind Fans at the ready to attack.

"The emptiness, the loneliness... you should know this place very well, especially since a place like this was formed in your heart after you became a cyborg. You remember... and I can sense that this place is still present in your heart, although it is much more miniscule than it originally was," Shadow Darkness said.

Auria took a moment to reflect, and she realized that what Shadow Darkness said was true. She placed her hand over her heart, as she felt that there was a small place where she still felt sadness from being lonely. Her grip tightened from frustration in herself for not truly letting go of her fear of loneliness. However, Auria breathed in and out slowly, and then she held onto her Platinum fans firmly.

"Oh? What is this? You still feel confident enough to fight against me?" Shadow Darkness asked, as he revealed himself from the shadows.

"My personal feelings should not hinder me from accomplishing my mission, or the others in our quest to defeat you," Auria replied, as she took a fighting stance with a more serious expression.

"Heh heh heh. I see..." Shadow Darkness said, as he closed his eyes and held his hand under his chin to think.

Then he opened his eyes and said, "Alright. Let's see if you can take this, your highness."

Shadow Darkness smirked deviously, as he vanished once more. Auria readied herself for what ever attack he was going to land, but it didn't come. Then Auria heard her name being called in the distance,

"Auria."

Auria listened again for the voice, and when she heard them call her name again, she started heading towards it, making sure to be aware of her surroundings if Shadow Darkness decided to show himself again.

"Auria!"

The voice was getting more clearer.

"Auria!"

The voice was more audible, and Auria's eyes widened when she recognized who the voice belonged to.

"Zane!" Auria called out, as she started running towards where Zane's voice was coming from.

"AURIA!" Zane yelled out in more distress, as Auria hastened her run.

"Zane! I'm coming!" Auria yelled back, and she saw something white ahead of her.

"Zane. Za-? ZANE!" Auria screamed out, when she saw that Zane was on the ground and that his robotic limbs were separated from him and on the ground.

Auria ran next to Zane's body that still had his head and one arm attached to it. She held up his head with one arm, as she placed her other hand on his chest to feel if his circuits were still on.

"Oh Zane, what happened to you? Did Darkness do this to you?" Auria asked with a heavy heart because his condition looked very bad.

Zane turned towards Auria weakly, and said, "A-Auria... I-I'm sorry... I-I can't g-go on... Forgive m-me... I failed y-you."

"No. No Zane! Don't say that. You didn't fail. I-I can fix you. I can f-fix you up," Auria said as her left eye began to water.

"I-It is t-too late... and A-Auria... I want y-you to k-know that... that I... I l-love... you..." Zane said, and then his eyes dimmed to gray as they half closed.

Auria looked at Zane's motionless form in shock, and then she said, in a quivering voice,

"Z-Zane! No! P-Please no... don't leave me... Don't leave me alone Zane! Please! I... I... "

Tears began to fall from Auria's left eye, as she lowered her head in sadness. During this time, Shadow Darkness stood watching Auria from the shadows, as he lightly laughed.


	83. Chapter 83 Breaking Heroes (3)

**Jay:**

"Uh. Hello? Is anyone there? Nya! Where are you?!" Jay called out to the shadows that surrounded him.

"Aw man! It was a trap! That ain't right!" Jay said, as he walked around, slightly trembling.

Then he heard laughter, as he quickly looked around and held his Platinum Lightning Nunchunks firmly.

"Uh! UH! W-Who's there?!" Jay asked, his voice trembling.

"Oh man, this is going to be too easy," a voice said from the shadows.

Jay gulped, and then asked, "D-Darkness?!"

Laughter echoed all around, and then Shadow Darkness said, from within the shadows,

"You guessed quite right Blue ninja. Your smarter than you look."

"Hey!" Jay said, annoyed, but then he cringed when Shadow Darkness laughed again.

"Are you afraid boy?" Shadow Darkness whispered next to Jay's ear.

"AH!" Jay yelped, as he turned around quickly, but Shadow Darkness vanished.

"What a scared little boy you are... This is going to be great," Shadow Darkness' voice echoed from the shadows.

Then, from the shadows, emerged old enemies and new enemies that the ninja had faced: Some of them were Serpentine, some of them were from the Stone army, some of them were Vampires and minions, and some of them were the Lizarians. All of them had red glowing eyes and darker tones of color on their outer appearances.

"Oh man! OH MAN!" Jay said in fear, as he backed up from the surrounding enemies, and a shadow wall came up from behind and stopped him from moving any further away.

"What the? Come on! That's not fair!" Jay complained, and then his voice was silenced when he saw glowing red and purple eyes of various sizes watching him from the shadows.

"Aw man! Oh no! OH NO! OH NOOOO!" Jay screamed out when he saw that he was surrounded.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Look how scared you are! How did _YOU_ even become a ninja?! Your such a failure in inventions, your scared so easily, AND your loud! What an annoyance you are to your team. Kai agrees with that, and I bet even Nya agrees with that," Shadow Darkness said from above the shadow wall.

"Y-Your wrong! They don't think that! And I'm NOT a failure!" Jay retorted.

"Oh yeah? Then why did Kai want to burn you alive before? Why does Flare smack you over the head? Why do the other guys make fun of you 'mouth of lightning'? And why haven't you created an invention that actually works for more than two seconds or without your father's help? Face it boy! You are where you came from, and that's a junkyard!" Shadow Darkness said, as he started to laugh again.

Jay looked up at Shadow Darkness in surprise, and then he looked at the crowd of enemies that were ready to beat him down. He slowly started tilting his head downward and thought,

'_It... It's true... I've only annoyed everyone with my jokes, and I barely keep my mouth shut... and my inventions haven't worked so well unless someone helped me... I... I really am just... junk...'_

Jay closed his eyes and lowered his head in certain defeat, as the enemies came closer to him, and Shadow Darkness continued to laugh.

**Nya:**

"Jay! Jay! What just happened?" Nya called out for the Blue ninja.

"So worried about others, yet you haven't worried about yourself?" A voice spoke from the shadows that surrounded Nya.

"Darkness?" Nya asked, as she took out her sword in one hand, and held an 'S' shaped shuriken in the other.

"Ha! What are you going to do with those toys? Then again, what would you be without them? Actually, WHO would you be without them?" Shadow Darkness asked, as he appeared a few feet from Nya.

Nya's eyes widened at what he was saying, but then they half closed as she held onto her weapons firmly.

"What are you talking about? I am me, with or without my weapons. They are an extension of myself," Nya replied.

"But in your case, you would be completely useless without them. Your brother knows that for a fact, since he had to save your life when you were first kidnapped. And even Marcell knew that when she first met you. Once she disabled your Samurai X suit, you were useless," Shadow Darkness said, and then he disappeared.

Nya looked around for him, and then she felt a hand on her shoulder, as Shadow Darkness whispered,

"I can still see the battle scars from when Ryan fought you. Even though your weapons were upgraded, that doesn't make a difference if YOUR the problem."

Nya tried to attack Shadow Darkness, but he vanished again. However, a shadow claw grabbed Nya's sword and sunk into the ground with it. Then another claw grabbed her shuriken, while another one grabbed her hat off her head, and both sunk into the ground.

"Hey!" Nya said, as she tried to reach down, but the claws disappeared too quickly.

"Now what can you do?" Shadow Darkness asked from the shadows, as dark Lizarians rose from the ground like zombies, as they slowly came after Nya.

Nya backed away from them, realizing that she had no weapons to fight with.

"That... It doesn't matter if I don't have any weapons! I can still fight!" Nya said, as she stood in a fighting stance, although she was a bit shaken by the mob coming towards her.

"I can sense your fear. You know you won't survive. You know you've been a nuisance to the others when it really counted, like: when you were kidnapped by the Skeletons and forced Kai to pick up the Golden sword, when you were held hostage by the Stone army, and when you became evil and even attacked your own comrades. Just accept it girl... your nobody without your weapons. Your just a waste of space. Like how you are right now," Shadow Darkness said, and then he started laughing.

All of the dark Lizarians started laughing as well, which made Nya back away from them.

"No. Stop it. Stop laughing! Please! I'm not a nobody! I'm not a waste of space! Please!" Nya said, as her voice revealed that she was becoming more frightened each moment longer she was there.

"Waste of Space. Nothing. Nobody. Weak. Little. Nuisance," Shadow Darkness' voice echoed all of these words around the area, as his laugh was also heard.

Nya tried to cover her ears, but the voices of Shadow Darkness and the dark Lizarians' laughter had grown louder, as she ended up on her knees.

"No. No. NO! It's a lie! It's a LIE!" Nya pleaded with herself, as she tried not to hear the voices all around her and in her head.

"AAAHHH!" Nya screamed out in fear and agony, as the laughter continued.

**Sensei Garmadon: **

Sensei Garmadon was calmly walking through the shadow mist that surrounded him, trying to find a way out of it. He felt like he was being watched, but he kept his composure, as he waited to see if the person or thing was going to reveal their self. As Sensei Garmadon continued walking around, he noticed a light ahead that was like a spotlight, and it was showing something that was on the ground. Sensei Garmadon approached the thing that the spotlight was showing, and it was a small, brown cardboard box. He knelt down and opened the box to see a note and a couple of blank papers and pictures under it. He read the note, that was written in black ink, and it said,

"They said you were evil before, but isn't trying to woo someone else's wife evil too?"

Sensei Garmadon tilted his head in question, and then he reached in the box and pulled out the pictures that were there. His eyes widened when he saw that the pictures showed Sensei Wu and Misako holding hands and hugging. He looked at the pictures for a moment longer, but then he turned his face away, as he placed them back into the box and closed it. Then he stood up and started walking away from the box, while he was breathing in and out as slowly as he could.

Then he saw another spotlight ahead of him, and he drew closer to it. There was another small cardboard box, but it was green instead of brown. Sensei Garmadon signed, and then he knelt down and opened the box. There was another note, written in burgundy ink, and it read:

"They gave up on you and were planning to move on. Even your son knows about that."

Then he reached in the box and pulled out the pictures that were under the note. They showed Lloyd seeing Misako and Sensei Wu together in surprise. Sensei Garmadon tensed up while he held the pictures, but then he relaxed and breathed in and out. He set the pictures and note back into the box, closed it, and then he stood up.

Sensei Garmadon continued on his way, when he found another cardboard box under a spotlight, but the box was red. He knelt down and slowly opened the box. There was another note, that was written in red ink, and it said,

"How can you trust your brother? He wanted to steal your wife when you weren't looking. And even your wife was siding with those thoughts. She's _your_ wife. He's _your_ brother."

Sensei Garmadon signed sadly, and then he noticed another note, that was written in purple ink, and it said,

"Or would you prefer your son to call Sensei Wu 'father?' Did _he_ protect your son when he was captured by Serpentine? Did _he_ try to fight the darkness when the Overlord possessed _him_? Did _he_ try to save your son's girlfriend when Darkness tried to capture her? Was _he_ there when Lloyd had to fight Darkness by himself and lost? Who is _he_ to try and take what's yours? Who is _he_ to try and take your place?"

Sensei Garmadon crumbled the two notes after he read them. He threw them away from himself, and then he looked down sadly, as he started to realize that there was truth written in those notes.

'_Wu didn't try to steal them... but why was he so close to Misako? I know I've made mistakes in the past, and I have regrets... but she __**is**__ my wife, and Lloyd is __**my**__ son... I would do anything for them. He can't actually take that from me? … He can't... right?'_ Sensei Garmadon thought, and then he noticed a dark presence was close by him.

He turned around and looked up to see a shadow of Darkness, looking at him with a slight smirk and vague eyes.

"So Sensei Garmadon... what do you think? You think he can't steal them? You think he didn't want to? Well it doesn't really look like it from those pictures," Shadow Darkness said, and Sensei Garmadon turned away from him and looked down at the empty box.

Then Shadow Darkness came closer to Sensei Garmadon, and he knelt down next to him as he placed his hand on his shoulder.

"You have made mistakes in your past, and have done pretty devious things, but it wasn't _your_ fault entirely. You were bitten by the Great Devourer, a serpent who's venom could turn even the purest of hearts evil. You have a valid reason for those mistakes and evil acts, but your brother... what excuse does he have? He's supposed to be good and doing the right thing... he has the choice. You didn't... so I wonder..." Shadow Darkness said, as he disappeared.

Then Sensei Garmadon heard Shadow Darkness' voice say, from the shadows around him,

"Who is really evil? You... or your brother, a thief who takes his freedom of choice for granted? You at least changed, but he might not have..."

Sensei Garmadon's shoulders started to shake, as he held his hands in tight fists.

"They called you a traitor... they said that you were bad... they said that _you_ had to be stopped... Who was really evil? WHO WAS REALLY BAD?! WAS IT NOT **THEM**?!" Shadow Darkness said in a more monstrous voice.

Sensei Garmadon started to tremble, as pools of liquid began to form around his eyes, while he was gritting his teeth.

"They banished you! THEY BANISHED YOU! Threw you away because you weren't like them! They got RID OF YOU because you weren't LIKE THEM! Because you were different WITHOUT A CHOICE! They should pay. YOU had to pay for what YOU DID by being banished and forcefully possessed by the Overlord. WHY SHOULDN'T **THEY** PAY!" Shadow Darkness said, as dark shadows formed around Sensei Garmadon.

Then Sensei Garmadon started to tremble even more, as the dark shadows started to latch themselves on him and pull him downward. Sensei Garmadon noticed this and he tried to pull himself up, but the dark shadows continued to pull him downward, as Sensei Garmadon's vision started to fade to black. He saw his family before his eyes, as they were whisked away by the dark shadows.

"No! Give them back! Let me go! NOOOO!" Sensei Garmadon screamed out, as the dark shadows continued to drag him downward, and Shadow Darkness stood above where he was being dragged to, with a dark grin on his face.


	84. Chapter 84 Breaking Heroes (4)

**Kai: **

"Flare! Where are you? UH! I can't see anything here!" Kai said in frustration, as he waved his Platinum fire sword around, while it was on fire, to see if there was something in the shadow mist.

"Heh heh heh heh heh. Poor little fire child. Your spirit is strong, but your not. Your Sensei knows that, everyone does... that's why Lloyd was chosen to be the Green Ninja and not you," A voice spoke from the darkness that surrounded Kai.

"What? … Wait a minute... Darkness!" Kai said, when he recognized the voice.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! You've guessed correctly. You finally guessed something right for once," Shadow Darkness said, as he appeared, floating above where Kai was.

Kai looked up at Shadow Darkness with a scowl and said, "That's not true! I guess stuff right most of the time, and I AM strong. I don't have to be the Green Ninja to prove that!"

"Hm... bold words, but I bet you can't back them up. Especially not against ME," Shadow Darkness said with a smirk, and then he vanished.

Kai looked around to see where Shadow Darkness had disappeared to. Then he turned and stumbled back when Shadow Darkness appeared right in front of him with a hiss.

"AH! What the?!" Kai shouted in surprise when he saw that Shadow Darkness had a serpent-like tongue and fangs.

"What'sss the matter boy? Shocked? Ssscared? Jussst like your sibling? And your friendsss?" Shadow Darkness asked in a deeper and darker tone.

"Wha... Nya, the guys, and girls... What did you do to them?" Kai asked with a hint of anger, as he pointed his blade towards Shadow Darkness after standing up.

"Ha Ha Ha Ha HA! Listen carefully boy!" Shadow Darkness said, as he flew upward into the shadows.

Then Kai began to hear the distressed voices and screams of his fellow ninja, kunoichi, and even Sensei Garmadon. As he heard their screams and pleas, Kai saw shadowy images in the shadows of each of his friends suffering while being surrounded by darkness. He saw Cole being assaulted by evil shadow versions of themselves, Christa being beaten down by her shadow, Zane screaming as his memories were being whiped out, Auria crying out for Zane, Jay surrounded by enemies who were taking turns hitting him, Nya being attacked by shadow claws that would punch her occasionally, and even Sensei Garmadon being dragged into the shadows.

"No... no... GUYS! NO!" Kai shouted out as he ran towards the images, only for the images to fade away and reappear somewhere else.

"Stop! Darkness STOP! Why are you doing this?! Why do you hate us so much?!" Kai yelled out, as he continued to swipe his sword at the images that came closer to him.

"Oh no Kai. I don't hate any of you. Your all just in my way from reaching my goal... and I WILL reach my **GOAL**!" Shadow Darkness said, as his voice sounded more bestial when he said 'GOAL.'

Then the images of the others started to morph into actual figures. The figures were each of the ninja and kunoichi, along with Sensei Garmadon, looking downward. They surrounded Kai, and when they looked up, they had red eyes and fangs like Shadow Darkness, as they smiled deviously.

"AH! What is going on?!" Kai asked in some panic, as they approached him.

"Come with us Kai!" -Shadow Jay

"Come with us to darkness." -Shadow Cole

"Come to the dark." -Shadow Auria

"Follow the shadows." -Shadow Zane

"Accept them." -Shadow Garmadon

"Let them consume you." -Shadow Christa

"Just like they did to us!"-Shadow Nya

Kai frantically looked around, as the shadow versions of his allies continued walking towards him, like vampiric zombies with sharp toothed grins.

"No. NO! STAY AWAY!" Kai shouted, as he waved his fire sword around, which only made the shadows step back a little bit, but they continued forward.

"Just accept it Kai. Your not strong enough. You can't win," Another voice said, and when Kai turned towards it, he gasped when he saw a shadow version of Lloyd just outside the others who circled him.

"Lloyd... No! I AM strong! This... Th-This isn't real! It can't be! It isn't!" Kai said, as he held one hand on his head and tried to look away from everyone.

"Oh Kai..." A familiar voice was suddenly heard, as Kai felt a hand under his chin making him look up.

Kai's eyes widened when he saw a shadow version of Flare, holding his chin up to make him look at her and her devious smile.

"If it isn't real, then you shouldn't feel this," Shadow Flare said, as she released Kai's chin, and punched him in the face.

Kai fell back on the ground, and he felt pain on his face from the punch. The hand he kept on the spot where he was hit started to tremble when he realized that the punch actually hurt him.

"No... no... please... this..." Kai shifted on his knees, as he looked around and saw that the shadow versions of the others were coming closer to him.

"NOOOOOO!" Kai screamed out with his arms outward.

Shadow Darkness began to laugh hysterically from above where Kai was, as the shadow versions grabbed Kai.

**Flare:**

Flare silently walked around the shadow mist that surrounded her. She was trying to find Kai, while looking for a way out.

'_It doesn't look like he's here, and it doesn't feel like I'm going anywhere. But I can still sense Kai... he's not here... in __**this**__ darkness... Then he must be in his own separate bubble of darkness. Aw man, this isn't good,'_ Flare thought, as she continued walking.

"The dear princess travels alone without her knight... but your not an average princess, are you, Flare?" A voice asked from the shadows.

Flare whipped her head towards where the voice was coming from, although she didn't pull out her Platinum Scimitar.

"Don't hide Darkness. I know that's you..." Flare said, and then she sensed movement, as she saw Shadow Darkness emerge from the shadows before her.

"Or is it?" Flare asked, as Shadow Darkness smirked and replied,

"Smart girl. I am an enhanced embodiment of Darkness and his dark desires. He has set a task for each of us to do if the generators were destroyed. You Ninja fell for it so easily... and there's no escape really... unless..."

"Unless what?" Flare asked, seriously.

Shadow Darkness disappeared, and then he reappeared right in front of Flare, as he grabbed her chin with his hand to make her look up at him, with a devious smirk on his face. Then Flare felt her body become almost weightless, as Shadow Darkness started flying up slowly, while bringing her up with him by her chin.

"It's not much. All you fools have to do is give up and join me. It'll be easier for all of us. All of you won't have to suffer, and I'll have a stronger army with me. Although it doesn't make a difference to me either way," Shadow Darkness said, as he laughed little.

"What makes you think I would agree to that? Or ANY of us for that matter?" Flare asked calmly, although she was annoyed at him.

Shadow Darkness disappeared, and he reappeared next to Flare.

"Well, the others aren't managing well... and I can sense that their spirits are starting to wear down," Shadow Darkness whispered, as Flare looked at him with the same serious expression.

"Your playing dirty Shadow Darkness," Flare said, and Shadow Darkness just chuckled.

"It's not dirty. I'm just using what you guys have as a weapon against you. That's how a shadow fights," Shadow Darkness said with a toothed grin, and Flare looked at him with anger now present in her eyes.

Then Flare breathed in and out calmly, as she looked back up at Shadow Darkness and asked,

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

Shadow Darkness smirked darkly and said, "Because your a smart girl... and I know that in your heart lies a darkness that has been dormant for too long... it longs to be awakened through you, and I can help you with that."

Flare glared at Shadow Darkness and said, "The reason it's dormant is because **I** decided to keep it that way. I will not be influenced or manipulated by anything or anyone... even from myself."

Shadow Darkness chuckled and said, "Yes I see. But how much stronger would you be if you tapped into your _full_ power. That darkness in your heart can become a very powerful asset to you. I should know."

Flare looked away from Shadow Darkness, as she signed and relaxed her tensed shoulders.

"That's it," Shadow Darkness said, as he and Flare slowly descended back to the ground, although he stood just above it.

"Open the locked doors where your darkness hides. Let the shadows loose from within you. Let them out into the open, and let your true self be realized!" Shadow Darkness said, as he floated a few feet away from Flare, with a dark grin on his face.

Flare's eyes were still closed, and her head was tilted downward. Shadow Lizarians were forming from the shadow mist, and they were waiting for Flare to do something. Then Flare breathed in and out slowly, and said,

"Shadow Darkness... I understand what you mean. The shadows in my heart are a part of me, and I shouldn't ignore them and keep their power locked up. The darkness that is also a part of my heart shouldn't be ignored either..."

Shadow Darkness grinned more deviously, as the Shadow Lizarians also smiled evilly. Then Flare said,

"That's why... I'm going to get rid of that darkness and evil once and for all! And I'll use it's own shadows as weapons to destroy it and YOU!"

Flare's eyes shot open, as she looked up at Shadow Darkness with a fiery determination and strength. Shadow Darkness looked at Flare in surprise, as did the Shadow Lizarians.

"You think YOUR the only one who uses shadows for power?! Well let me slap you in the face with some knowledge buddy... I fixed my weapon AND I found out it's TRUE name! The Platinum Shadow Scimitar of Umbra!"

Flare took out her scimitar and held it in the air for all to see, as shadows began to swirl around the blade, which made the Shadow Lizarians step back.

"Don't try to play ME Shadow Darkness! I saw through this whole plan of trapping each of us in shadow bubbles from when the machines first burst, AND when I realized that I was separated from Kai! You may have tricked the others, but that's because they don't know the shadows like I do! I am a Shadow MASTER! You can't control me because I am the MASTER of SHADOWS!" Flare yelled out, and then she started spinning around quickly until she became a tornado of orange and gray mist.

"NINJAGOOOO!" Flare yelled out, as she started beating down each of the Shadow Lizarians.

Shadow Darkness stood where he was, blocking his face, because the shadows that were all around were being effected by Flare, and even the shadow mist started following her whirling movements.

"No! This can't be! No! NOOOO!" Shadow Darkness yelled out, as he faded away with the shadow mist.

Then Flare stopped spinning, and when she looked around, she was back in Ninjago city. She saw the area where the machine was, and it was broken in pieces. Then Flare held her Shadow Scimitar on her shoulder and raised her other hand in the air, in a fist, and said,

"Ha Ha Darkness! You got nothing on me! YEAH!"

Then Flare sensed distress and dark creatures, as she turned and noticed a large, dark shadow mist that was in the form of a bubble that laid on the ground not too far from her. She keened her senses, as she was able to sense who was inside.

"KAI!" Flare yelled out, as she ran towards the shadow mist with her weapon drawn outward.


	85. Chapter 85 Sparking a Fire

**Kai: **

"Do you see now Kai?" Shadow Darkness said calmly, as he stood floating a few feet away from Kai.

Kai was sitting slouched against a shadow wall. His eyes looked dull as he stared at the ground, and he had cuts and bruises all over his body and a larger bruise on his cheek. The Shadow versions of the other Ninja had beaten Kai up, and Shadow Lloyd delivered the final kick that sent Kai onto the wall that he was leaning on.

"Your too weak. Not physically, but mentally. You let your friends beat the fire out of you while you begged and pleaded with them not to. Even though you knew that, deep down, they were just shadow versions of the real ones, you still couldn't bring yourself to fight them. Weakness. That weakness was how you lost now," Shadow Darkness said, as he floated in front of Kai and extended his hand towards him.

"But if you join me Kai, you won't be weak-willed anymore. I can give you the strength and power you need to be the greatest of them all... Join me Kai," Shadow Darkness said.

Kai slowly looked up at Shadow Darkness with the same dullness in his eyes. He looked at his hand, as he slowly picked up his own.

"Yes. Join me Kai. I can help you. I can make you stronger," Shadow Darkness said with a small smirk forming on his face.

Kai slowly reached his hand up to Shadow Darkness' hand. But then he froze when he heard a voice in the distance.

"Kai!"

A spark had lit up in Kai when he heard the familiar voice, and life started to return to his eyes.

"F-Flare..." Kai whispered.

"Kai!" Flare's voice came louder, as Kai started to lower his hand and stare in the direction of Flare's voice.

"No! Listen to me Kai! It's a trick. I can give you strength. Follow me!" Shadow Darkness said more demanding.

"KAI! Don't listen to him Kai! Don't listen to him!" Flare yelled out as she was getting closer.

"Flare! My Flare! My spark! Where are you?!" Kai called out as a smile began to form on his face, and his eyes lit up fully with life.

"NO! This isn't right! You were suppose to follow me!" Shadow Darkness said in slight frustration, as he stood in front of Kai.

Kai looked at Shadow Darkness with a smirk and furrowed eyebrows, as he said, "I follow my own path, and your in my way!"

Kai's eyes began to glow red, as his body transformed into the pure form of fire. He was using his Full potential.

"No! NO! NOOO!" Shadow Darkness said, as the intense fire that Kai began to release had engulfed him in flames until he disappeared.

The flames that emitted from Kai started to spread far and wide throughout the shadow bubble, destroying it in the process. Flare was in the shadow bubble when she noticed the flames. She covered her face, but when she didn't feel anything, she moved her arm away. Flare gasped when she saw that the fire that Kai released was burning the shadows, but they didn't come near her. As she continued to watch the flames consume the shadow mist, Flare didn't notice that Kai had emerged from the flames from behind her, while in Full Potential form. He smiled wholeheartedly, as he came closer to her.

"Flare," Kai said in relief, as Flare turned towards him and smiled.

"Kai! Your alright," Flare said as she walked closer to him.

Then Kai breathed in and out, as his body returned to normal and the flames started to cease. Kai and Flare stepped closer to one another as they embraced. Flare nuzzled her head under Kai's chin, as he stroked her hair.

"I thought for a moment that I... that I was going to lose you there dude. I panicked and I started yelling for you to fight him. I was... scared that I would be too late," Flare said.

"I thought I lost you too. I thought that Darkness got you already and... and I almost lost hope... I'm so glad that your alright," Kai said.

Then they released one another, as they smiled at each other.

"Your... not going to tell anyone that I admitted that I was afraid right?" Flare asked.

"As long as if you don't tell anyone that I almost gave up," Kai said.

"Let's never give up, or be afraid to do what we must," Flare said and Kai nodded in agreement.

-Squeak, Roar, Screech!-

Kai and Flare turned back-to-back to see that they were nearly surrounded by a large group of various Lizarians.

"Great. Now they decided to come," Kai said, irritated.

"At least we get to show them how we feel about it," Flare said, also irritated.

Then the sound of an engine was heard, as Kai and Flare noticed something coming towards them, as well as the Lizarians.

"What is- oh my gosh is that Lucy?!" Flare said in surprise, and Kai's eyes widened.

Lucy was driving towards Kai and Flare on her platinum vehicle, as she skidded around them while hitting the Lizarians away. She came to a stop when she went around them three times.

"Hey guys! I thought I might have found you here," Lucy said, as she waved towards them.

Lucy's Platinum Water Vehicle was in the shape of wave scooter, which is like a wheel-less motorcycle on water that uses an engine to shoot water from the back to move forward. There were extra attachments to Lucy's water scooter, like platinum streamers that waved-out from the sides and the back of the vehicle. There were other streamers of various colors and shades of blue too with a few white ones, and all the streamers had white tips to them. There was also water that covered the whole bottom of the water scooter and kept it afloat just above the ground. The color of the body of the scooter was blue on the front half and cyan on the back half, with four diagonal lines on the center of each side that were white, black, platinum, and white in that order. The booster on the back was all black, as well as the handles, and there was a glass frame that covered the front of the vehicle where Lucy sat.

"I've never seen the platinum vehicle of the Water Staff before. It looks awesome," Flare said.

"That's amazing. But what are you doing here Lucy? Weren't you supposed to turn off the Security System?" Kai asked.

"Thank you, and yes I did turn off the Security System. I came straight here to save you guys from the shadow mists, but I see that you guys were able to handle that," Lucy said, as she rubbed the back of her head.

"You knew about those shadow bubbles?" Flare asked, as she walked up to Lucy, as well as Kai.

"I just found out about them from Silva. She said that all of the Lizarian Spawners were rigged," Lucy replied.

"Then the others are in danger too," Kai said.

"We have to find them," Flare said, as she looked towards Kai, and he nodded towards her.

"We have to hurry. Flare, you can sense, where are the others?" Lucy asked, and Flare closed her eyes to concentrate.

"I can sense seven more shadow bubbles. One isn't too far from here, and the other three are more closer North from here. I sense that Jay and Nya are the closest ones," Flare said as she opened her eyes.

"Then you two go to the closest one for Jay and Nya, and I'll check out the further ones. It'll be easier that way," Lucy said, and Kai and Flare nodded in agreement.

"Alright. Let's do this!" Kai said, as he jumped up and held his Platinum Fire sword in his hand as he summoned his Platinum motorcycle.

"Let's roll!" Flare said, as she jumped up with her Platinum Scimitar in hand and summoned her Platinum cycle.

Kai and Flare headed towards the closest shadow bubbles, as Lucy went towards the farther ones. Flare's eyes flickered a few times towards the sky because she could sense two powers fighting in mid-air.


	86. Chapter 86 Treblequake

**Cole: **

As the Earth ninja laid helpless on the ground, it was obvious by his cuts, bruises, and somewhat torn gi that he wasn't doing well. He tried to stand up numerous times, but each time he stood on his hands and knees, he would feel another blow to the head or back that would keep him down. The shadow versions of the Ninja morphed into Shadow Lizarians that would take turns in keeping Cole on the ground. Shadow Darkness watched in amusement and patience, as Cole was still trying to fight back, but would once again be smacked to the ground.

Finally, Shadow Darkness noticed that Cole was no longer trying to get up, but he stood looking at his hands in sorrow. Shadow Darkness dismissed the Shadow Lizarians, as they returned to the shadows around them.

"So Earth Ninja... how does it feel to be weak? Not very good huh?" Shadow Darkness said in an almost whisper, as he stood floating in front of Cole with his hands behind his back.

"You've finally given up haven't you? You can't fight any longer. How sad really... but I'm sure that if you were on my side, that you wouldn't have lost at all," Shadow Darkness said with a sly smile, as Cole tilted his head up to look at him.

Then Shadow Darkness extended his hand towards Cole and said, "Join me boy. Let me teach you how to truly be strong. Let me give you the strength to fight and win! I can give you all that you desire and more..."

Shadow Darkness smirked and added, "Especially for you _and_ Princess Christa too. You'll never have to worry about her being in danger. You'll have all the power you'll need."

Cole looked down for a moment to think about it, and then he looked back up at Shadow Darkness and asked,

"Will you really give me the power... to do that?"

Shadow Darkness nodded and said, "Yes, I will. You've seen my power. I have more than enough to offer."

Cole looked at Shadow Darkness, and then he looked at his hands. He placed his hands on the ground, as he slowly started lifting himself up. He was able to get from his knees to his feet, as he held onto his right arm with his left hand, and he kept his legs slightly bent and apart to keep his balance.

_'He'll give me the power... he'll give me the strength...'_ Cole thought, as he reached forward with his left hand towards Shadow Darkness' hand...

**Christa:**

"I do feel bad for you princess. Your really having a hard time," Shadow Darkness said, as he saw Christa being beaten by her shadow self.

Christa was taking direct blows by Shadow Christa, and she could barely defend or attack without being deflected or slapped back. She had bruises all over, and little bits of red liquid would fall from her mouth or from a small cut on the side of her forehead. Christa was having a hard time standing up, but Shadow Christa wasn't helping when she would grab her and fling her away.

As Christa was once again thrown to the ground, Shadow Darkness stood nearby, as he waved his hand for Shadow Christa to stop, which she did.

"Dear princess, your not looking so good. Your being so easily beaten by yourself," Shadow Darkness said in a fake sympathetic voice, as Christa stood on her knees and breathed heavily.

"You know, it would be so much easier if you were to follow me though. You wouldn't have to fight this dark side since you would basically be on the same side," Shadow Darkness said, as Christa looked up at him and responded,

"I am... not of darkness... or evil. I would never agree to that... especially not to help YOU!"

Shadow Darkness snickered and said, "But you'll be able to save your friends if you do. Even your sister."

Christa's eyes widened and she asked, "What? My sister? What has happened to her? What has happened to the others?"

Shadow Darkness looked away to think, and then he replied, "They are just being tormented for their folly. Similar to you right now. But it looks as though their stubbornness is going to destroy them. It's too bad. I'm sure you could save them if you were to join me. Then you wouldn't be the only one, standing alone, when this is over."

Christa gasped in shock, as she held her hand to her mouth.

"You need to make a decision Christa. Quickly! I can hear their dying breaths right now," Shadow Darkness said, as he held his hand near his ear.

Christa took a moment to think about what Shadow Darkness said, and tears started to form around her eyes.

'_No... No... I can't let them suffer... no...'_ Christa thought, as she looked up at Shadow Darkness and said,

"Will you please leave them be if I join you?"

Shadow Darkness reached his hand towards Christa, with a smirk, and replied, "I will."

Christa looked down for a moment, and then she looked up at Shadow Darkness, as she slowly reached up for his hand.

"Christa!"

Christa's hand froze in place when she heard her name being called. Shadow Darkness noticed this sudden halt, as he looked towards Shadow Christa to see if she was doing something, which she wasn't, and even she was confused.

"Christa! C n yo he r me!"

The voice called out again, as Christa slowly moved her hand towards her ear to heighten her sensitivity so that she could hear who was calling her better.

"You need to get out of the shadow bubble! It's a trap set by Darkness! It's a lie! Flare and Kai got out of it, and you need to too! I'm not they're yet, but I hope you can hear me!"

Christa recognized that the voice belonged to Lucy, and she could hear that Lucy was indeed not too far from where she was. Then Christa heard another voice that was closer saying,

"I can give you all that you desire and more... Especially for you _and_ Princess Christa too. You'll never have to worry about her being in danger. You'll have all the power you'll need."

Then Christa's eyes widened when she heard Cole's voice say,

"Will you really give me the power... to do that?"

_'No... Cole don't!'_ Christa thought, and then she heard the other voice that she recognized as Shadow Darkness' voice say,

"Yes, I will. You've seen my power. I have more than enough to offer."

'_NO! Cole! You can't go with him! He's... He's lying to us!'_ Christa thought, as she started to stand up.

"What are you doing?" Shadow Darkness asked Christa, and then his eyes widened when he saw that her expression was full of irritation, determination, and strength.

"I will NOT follow you! And I will NOT let you take him! You've been trying to deceive us into following you by making us think that we're weak! You offer us strength, and even the power to change our situations... but we don't need YOU! We have the power to shape our own destinies AND to fight!" Christa said, as her Platinum Gauntlets began to glow brightly in a yellow hue, and the ground trembled from the sound waves they were releasing.

"You've got it all wro-" Shadow Darkness tried to say, but Christa cut him off and said, in a bellowing voice,

"NO! YOUR THE ONE WHO HAS GOT IT ALL WRONG! AND IT'S TIME TO END IT NOW!"

Shadow Darkness looked towards Shadow Christa, and she started running towards Christa. However, when Shadow Christa was about to punch her, Christa caught her fist with ease, as her eyes started to glow yellow. Shadow Christa looked at her in shock and some fear, as Christa looked at her with a fierceness that could kill if it was a weapon.

"Get down!" Christa commanded her shadow, as Shadow Christa began sinking into the ground.

"What?! NO!" Shadow Darkness said in surprise.

Then Christa turned towards where she heard Cole's voice and shouted, with a sound-enhanced echo,

"COLE! NO!"

**Cole:**

Right before Cole's hand could grab Shadow Darkness' hand, he felt the ground around him begin to tremble. Cole pulled his hand back, as he looked around the ground. Then he heard a voice that sounded like Christa's screaming out at someone.

"What on Earth is that?" Cole asked to no one in particular.

Shadow Darkness' eyes widened a bit, and then he quickly stood before Cole and said,

"Well, there's no need to wonder about that right now. I mean, you already decided to follow me right?"

Cole took a moment to think about that, but then he jumped when he heard Christa's voice, loud and as clear as a crisp spring morning call out,

"COLE! NO!"

Cole heard Christa's voice echoing all around him, which made him realize that everything he saw before was indeed a lie. He felt some strength return to him, as he started walking towards where he heard her voice coming from.

"No! What are you doing Cole? You were suppose to follow me so that I can give you strength!" Shadow Darkness said with some irritation in his voice.

"I don't need you to give me strength Darkness! I can walk on my own, like I am now. I don't need you!" Cole yelled back, as he continued walking towards where Christa's voice came from.

"No! NO! You can't stand on your own for long! You'll need help one way or another!" Shadow Darkness said.

"Your right. I can't stand on my own for long... that's why I have my friends to help me out. They're what keeps me going... what gives me strength to fight for what's right and to fight against you!" Cole said, as he kept walking forward, and he was able to stand up straighter and not struggle as much to walk.

"You fool," Shadow Darkness said, with some venom in his voice.

Cole stopped walking for that moment, and then he brought out his Platinum Scythe, as he turned around and stroke the ground with it. The ground began to quake under Shadow Darkness as Earth spikes rose up and hit him.

"AH! You-RAH!" Shadow Darkness yelled out, as he faded away.

Then the shadow bubble started to fade away as well, while Cole watched it disintegrate before him.

"Strong enough for you Darkness?" Cole said with a smirk, and then he turned around.

His eyes widened when he saw another shadow bubble in front of him.

"Christa!" Cole called out, as he started running towards the shadow bubble.

"YOU WON'T WIN!" Christa's voice boomed from within the shadow bubble, as Cole stopped in his tracks.

"RAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Christa's voice was roaring out from within the shadow bubble with such power, that the shadow bubble started to rupture and tear apart from the powerful sound waves.

Cole was covering his ears, as he watched in pure surprise, as the shadow bubble was destroyed and Christa stood in the center with her mouth open and sound waves dispersing from it in a circular array of colors.

After a moment, Christa closed her mouth, as the sound slowly ceased. She looked around and saw that the shadow bubble was gone, which made her raise her arms in triumph. Then she remembered that Cole needed help, but when she looked towards where Cole was, her eyes widened in surprise to see that he was out of it. Cole removed his hands from his ears, as he looked at Christa with her same expression.

Then Christa began to smile, as did Cole, and they both ran towards one another.

"Your okay!" Christa said in relief and happiness.

"You are too!" Cole said in happiness and thankfulness.

When they were in close range, they embraced in a soft hug since they were both injured.

"I'm so glad your alright Cole. You made it out," Christa said, while still hugging him.

"I wouldn't have made it without you," Cole said, while still hugging Christa.

"It was Lucy's voice I heard call out to me first," Christa said.

Then Christa and Cole broke the hug, and Cole asked,

"Well, where is Lucy?"

"I don't know. She said that she was coming when I last heard her," Christa replied.

-SCREECH-

Cole and Christa turned towards the sudden screeching sound, when they both gasped as they saw a group of Lizarians coming towards them.

"Oh gosh," Christa said, as she readied her Platinum gauntlets, while Cole readied his Platinum Scythe.

"YAAAH!" A familiar voice yelled out, as a vehicle side-swept the group of Lizarians away and on the ground.

"Lucy?" Cole asked, when he noticed the driver of the vehicle.

"Hey guys! Sorry if I'm late, but thank goodness you two are alright!" Lucy said with a big smile, as she waved towards Cole and Christa from atop of her vehicle.

"Woah! That's an awesome ride!" Christa said, admiring Lucy's new vehicle.

"It is right? I finally unlocked my Full Potential _and_ finally figured out how to summon a vehicle," Lucy said.

"Cool," Cole said.

"That's great," Christa added.

"Oh! Wait a minute! Guys you have to get out of here. The machines were rigged from the start by Darkness. You have to find the others and get out of here before it's too late," Lucy said.

"Where are the others?" Cole asked.

"I think some of the other shadow bubbles are over there, but I'm not sure," Lucy said, as she pointed towards a certain direction.

"Let me listen. Maybe I can hear where they are," Christa said, as she closed her eyes and held her hands to her ears to listen.

She heard numerous sounds and voices, and then she listened more carefully to hear where the other Ninja were. She started to hear familiar voices, and then she recognized who they were.

"-Gasp- Auria! She needs help! And Zane!" Christa said in concern, as Cole's eyes widened and he said,

"Then let's go help them."

Then Christa heard another voice screaming out, and she gasped again as she looked up towards the sky and said,

"I hear Raven! She needs help!"

Cole gasped, as well as Lucy. Then Lucy revved up her engine, as she said, with a serious expression,

"I'll go for Raven. You guys help Auria and Zane, and whoever you find on your way."

"I heard Raven from over there,' Christa said, as she pointed towards where a dark tower was that wasn't close, but it wasn't that far from them either.

"I got it!" Lucy said, as she immediately drove in that direction.

"Let's go," Christa said to Cole, as he nodded.

Then Cole and Christa summoned their vehicles, as they drove towards where Christa heard Zane and Auria in distress.


	87. Chapter 87 Rime

**Zane: **

Within the shadow bubble, Zane stood sitting on the ground while looking down, and leaning against a shadow wall. He was put back together, but his memories were suppressed, as he stood silently sitting down, trying to figure out where he was and who he was. He lifted his head and looked around, and then he heard a voice say,

"Hello Zane. It's nice to see that your awake."

Zane looked up and saw a shadowy form of a man wearing a black hood with red eyes, and a smirk on his face.

"Are you alright my friend?" Shadow Darkness asked, while crossing his arms.

"Friend? We are friends?" Zane asked, although he felt something was odd about the shadowy man before him.

"Yes we are. You are Zane, and my name is Shadow Darkness. I've been looking for you to bring you back home. I'm glad that I finally found you," Shadow Darkness said, as he floated closer to Zane and extended his hand towards him.

"Come. Follow me. Let me bring you home," Shadow Darkness said with a small smile.

Zane looked at Shadow Darkness' hand, and then he looked at his own, as he reached up to take his hand.

'_Shadow Darkness... He's my friend? I feel like I know him... but... I sense that something isn't right... but what else can I do? No one else is here to help me but him,'_ Zane thought, and then he grabbed Shadow Darkness' hand.

Shadow Darkness smiled a little more darkly, and then he helped lift Zane off the ground.

"So Zane, do you agree to follow me and let me give you some of my powers? Then you won't get lost again," Shadow Darkness asked, as he released Zane's hand, but he offered his other hand that was enhanced with shadow power.

Zane took a moment to look at Shadow Darkness' hand, and then he slowly extended his hand towards his.

'_I can sense a dark power radiating from his hand... but there's no where else that I can go... at least not that I remember,'_ Zane thought as he was about to accept Shadow Darkness' proposal.

-Ring, Ring-

Zane froze when he heard a ringing from his left arm, and Shadow Darkness looked at him with one eyebrow raised. Zane pulled his arm back as he began to examine it to see why it was ringing, which was indeed unnatural to him now. Then Zane placed his other hand on his arm and lifted it up to find a mechanical compartment of switches and buttons that were inside of his forearm. His eyes widened in shock to see that his arm was fully mechanical, and then he noticed a button that was blinking, which made him press it to see what it was.

"Zane. Zane! Are you there? Can you hear me?" A voice spoke from Zane's arm, as Zane took a step back, as if he was trying to step away from his own arm.

"W-Who is this? Who are you?" Zane asked with confusion and some fear in his voice.

"Zane? It's me your father. Can you hear me okay?" Dr. Julien said, as Zane gasped.

"F-Father... I have... a father," Zane said as his mind went into a euphoric state of shock.

"No, Zane, don't listen! He's a sham! He'll only deceive you," Shadow Darkness said quickly, but Dr. Julien heard his voice.

"Is... Is that Darkness? Get away from my son you evil fiend!" Dr. Julien said to Shadow Darkness.

"Evil?" Zane asked, as his mind snapped back into reality.

"NO! Don't listen to him Zane! He's the reason why you were here alone! He abandoned you!" Shadow Darkness said.

"That's not true! Zane, he's lying! He must have messed with your memory switch in your chest frame!" Dr. Julien said quickly.

Zane looked down at himself, as he reached over and opened up his chest to see his inner mechanical network, which made him jump back in surprise.

"I-I... what am I?!" Zane said with some panic in his voice.

"Useless metal," Shadow Darkness said with venom in his voice, as Zane looked at him in shock.

"How dare you say that to my son! He is not at all 'useless!'" Dr. Julien said with fatherly anger in his voice.

Then Zane looked down and noticed that the memory switch in his chest compartment was singed and broken.

'_My memory switch has been destroyed... Then... I can't get my memories back?_' Zane thought in sadness.

"Forget you then! If you won't follow me, then rust AWAY!" Shadow Darkness shouted, and then he waved his hand quickly before Zane, as a dark wind current slashed him away.

Zane went flying back pretty far, as he landed flat on his back while his chest compartment closed on him.

"Zane! Are you alright?!" Dr. Julien called out to Zane in worry.

"I-It's alright... father. But my memory switch in my chest has been destroyed. I am eighty-five percent sure that Shadow Darkness must have done this so that I wouldn't reclaim my memories," Zane said sadly while keeping his arm near his mouth.

"Oh no," Dr. Julien said sadly.

Then Zane heard growling, as he sat up and saw shadow lizarians coming for him as well as the clawed hands from before, but since he doesn't remember anything from before, they're a new site to him. Zane stood up on his feet quickly, as he back away from the lizarians, only to stop and turn around to see that he was surrounded.

"It's over Zane! There's no where to run, and no where to hide! NO ONE is going to save you! You can't even save yourself! Your all alone, and it's over!" Shadow Darkness said, as he stood floating just above the Shadow Lizarians with his arms crossed.

Zane looked around in panic, as he couldn't think of a way to defend himself or get away.

"I... I can't escape, or even fight," Zane said, as the Shadow Lizarians came closer.

Then one of the claws grabbed Zane's left leg and held it down, as another claw grabbed his right arm and held it in place.

"I'm... I'm alone," Zane said, as he dropped his head in certain defeat.

"You are never alone Zane," Dr. Julien said.

"Father," Zane said, and he looked towards his arm, as two more shadow claws grabbed his other leg and hand.

"Zane, you have friends. Great friends who are willing to stand by your side no matter what to do what's right. Friends who are willing to fight and protect one another, as you would do for them. You even found a remarkable lady, who cares about you so much, as you do for her," Dr. Julien said.

"R-Really? I have such great friends, and even a significant other?" Zane asked, as a smile slowly came to his face, even though the Shadow Lizarians surrounded him.

"Yes Zane, you do. Your a Nindroid with numerous talents that even I didn't program into you, and you have great friends that have stuck by your side for a long time, as well as new ones who are the same way, especially her," Dr. Julien said proudly.

As the Shadow Lizarians readied themselves to pounce, Zane asked, "What is her name?"

Then Dr. Julien replied, "Her name is Auria."

"Auria~" Zane whispered her name as he smiled, wholeheartedly.

Then he looked towards his arm, as his eyes widened when he noticed that there were switches similar to the ones that were in his chest compartment.

'_Could one of these switches...'_ Zane thought, but then his thoughts were cut off when one of the Shadow Lizarians howled, which made the others leap forward.

Zane quickly pulled his regular arm towards the one that had the switches and flipped one of them. The Shadow Lizarians pounced on Zane and stood in a pile on top of him. Shadow Darkness arrogantly snickered, and turned to float away.

"You really _were_ useless metal," Shadow Darkness said.

"THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK!" A voice yelled out from the pile of Shadow Lizarians.

Shadow Darkness immediately turned around with his eyes widened, as he saw a light blue glow from underneath the Shadow Lizarian pile. Then an eruption of ice and frost burst up from underneath the Shadow Lizarians, which sent them flying up and scattering away in the air. Shadow Darkness arched an eyebrow, but then his expression turned into surprise when he saw the White ninja standing where the pile was, unharmed, with glowing white eyes and a fierce expression on his face. He was about to transform into his Full Potential, but he had something to say first.

"Darkness!" Zane called out while looking at Shadow Darkness and continued,

"You took advantage of my robotic form by exploiting my functions and lying to me! You've been trying to get into my mind this whole time, and I suspect that your pulling the same maneuver with the others!"

Zane pointed towards Shadow Darkness and said, "Well not anymore! They are NOT your pawns, and I am NOT a pawn of yours either! You won't take my memories away again! NO ONE WILL!"

Zane opened his arm compartment, since it closed when he used his power, and he grabbed the memory switch and ripped it out.

"No one will take advantage of my memories like you did! Never again!" Zane said, as he transformed into his Full Potential.

"You just wait you metal freak! Darkness is not through yet!" Shadow Darkness yelled out.

"But **you** are," Zane said in a lower tone, as he unleashed a whirlwind of ice that spread out beyond where he was with a mighty force.

"NOOOOoooooo!" Shadow Darkness yelled out as he was swept in the whirlwind and disappeared, as well as the shadow mist that surrounded Zane.


	88. Chapter 88 Freezicane

**Auria: **

As tears streamed down her cheeks, Auria was able to open her eyes to look at the broken form of Zane that she was still holding onto. She slowly set him on the ground, as she placed her hand on her head.

"Dear princess, it's really heartbreaking to see you in such distress and pain," Shadow Darkness said in a smooth voice from the shadows.

Auria slowly stood up on her feet, as she looked around to see where Shadow Darkness was.

"The future queen of Aeroplane shouldn't have to go through such pain, especially after becoming a cyborg," Shadow Darkness said smoothly, as he slowly appeared from the shadows just behind Auria.

Then he moved closer to her, as he reached out with his left hand and held onto her right hand. Auria turned towards him, with tears still on her cheeks but a more somber expression, as Shadow Darkness bended his arm and her arm, as if he was escorting her somewhere.

"There there princess," Shadow Darkness said, as he used his other hand to wipe the tears off of her face.

"Things can be different Auria. You don't have to live in fear of loneliness and heartbreak any longer. You can live a fulfilling life with the ones you love in harmony. I can give you the power to change your fate... and make you human again," Shadow Darkness said, as his hand rested on Auria's shoulder.

Auria's eyes widened in surprise at what Shadow Darkness was saying, and she asked,

"Y-You can make me human again?"

Shadow Darkness replied, "Yes, and I can do more than that. I can make Zane human as well. Then you two can be together and live until it's your time to go. You can be together forever, even after death, and with your loved ones as well."

Auria looked away from Shadow Darkness, as she tried to process this, and then he removed his hand from her shoulder, although he kept his other arm holding onto her own. Then Shadow Darkness slowly released Auria's arm, as he touched that arm with his other hand, and suddenly Auria could feel that her arm was all organic. She looked at her arm in surprise, as she looked towards Shadow Darkness.

"See what I can do for you? Come Auria. Let me give you power. Let me help you change your fate," Shadow Darkness said, as he extended his hand towards her.

Auria looked at Shadow Darkness, and then she looked at his hand. Her hand slightly twitched, as she thought about his proposal.

As much as Auria would have liked to be human again, and to let Zane in on it, she felt a stillness in the air. There was no wind blowing at all, and Auria could feel the loneliness within her heart start to feel more apparent. She placed her hand on her chest, as she started to feel the feeling of a whirlwind in her heart. Auria slowly smiled, as she realized what this was, and then she said,

"I would have done almost anything to be truly human again. To feel more warmth than cold from having titanium as a part of my anatomy... but... with this transformation came the power over wind, heightened intelligence, inner strength, new and old friends to share great times with... and especially to know that I will have Zane by my side no matter what..."

Shadow Darkness looked at Auria with slight suspicion, but then his eyes widened when she looked up at him with more fierceness and said,

"I don't know what kind of person I would be now if I hadn't had that accident and became a cyborg, and I'm not sure if it would have been better or worse... but you know what... I'm PROUD of who I am now, and I wouldn't change my past because it's made me who I am now. I am Princess Auria of Aeroplane, and I am the Wind Kunoichi of the Platinum Wind Fans..."

Auria took her wind fans from the side of her belt, and held them open in each hand as she said,

"I don't need to be 'normal' to know who I am... and I don't need to be 'normal' to know not to trust **you**."

Shadow Darkness retracted his hand back, as he noticed that the Platinum Wind fans were glowing brightly, and that strong wind currents were slowly surrounding them.

"I have my own strength, and the strength of my loved ones. I don't need your power," Auria said, as she raised her arms up halfway and added,

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to..."

Auria could feel her arm reverting back to being partial mechanical, but it didn't bother her at all.

"Wait-" Shadow Darkness tried to speak, but then Auria interrupted him and shouted,

"NINJAGOOOO!"

Auria started to use spinjitzu, as the gray tornado that she was in grew taller and stronger, as the shadow mist around her was being cut up and torn apart by the power gusts of the tornado.

"No! NO! NO!" Shadow Darkness said, as he was overwhelmed by the powerful wind attack and disappeared, as well as the shadow mist.

After the shadow bubble was overwhelmed and destroyed, Auria stopped using spinjitzu as the tornado ceased and the winds calmed down around her. She looked around her surroundings to see that she was still in Ninjago city. Then Auria quickly turned towards where she last saw Zane, because they had to stand a few feet apart before attacking the Lizarian Spawner. Her eyes widened when she saw that Zane was standing right where he was, while an ice mist encircled his body.

As the ice mist ceased, Zane opened his eyes to see that he was still in Ninjago city. The glow from his eyes reverted back to normal, as he looked around, and then he turned to see if Auria was in the same place.

Their eyes locked onto one another, as Auria and Zane stood staring at each other for a little while. Then their eyes light up, and they slowly began to smile in relief and happiness.

"A-Auria," Zane nearly whispered.

"Z-Zane," Auria also nearly whispered.

Then both ninja ran towards one another, as they embraced in a tight hug.

"Oh my dear Ice ninja, I was so worried and scared without you. Even though it was a hallucination, the thought of losing you almost overwhelmed me," Auria said, as one tear streamed down her cheek.

"I apologize my dear Wind princess. I too had lost my senses, and had almost lost my memories of all of you for good, but I'm just so glad that your alright," Zane said, as a single tear also streamed down his face.

"Zane... may I ask you something?" Auria asked, as both ninja broke the hug, but they still held onto each others' hands.

"Yes, Auria?" Zane asked, eager to hear her soft voice speak again.

"Do you... do you..." Auria could barely ask her question, as a light pink tint came over her face and she looked downward.

Then Zane reached up with one of his hands and placed it right under Auria's chin, as he lifted her head up to look at him.

"Tell me, what's the matter?" Zane asked, coolly.

Auria looked into Zane's eyes, and then she mustered up the courage to ask,

"Do you love me?"

Zane's eyes widened, as his cheeks heated up, and he slowly released Auria's chin.

"I-I..." Zane stuttered out, and then he noticed that Auria was very eager to hear his answer since she stepped closer to him.

Zane rubbed the back of his head, although his other hand was still holding Auria's. Then he breathed in and out, and replied,

"Yes. You are very dear to me Auria... and may I ask... do you love me too?"

Auria looked down for a moment as the color around her cheeks became a deeper shade of pink. Then she looked up at Zane, as she placed her free hand on his cheek and replied,

"Yes. I love you Zane."

Zane's eyes widened, and then they softened lovingly, as he wrapped his free arm around Auria's waist.

Zane and Auria slowly started moving closer, and then they heard the rumbling of engines coming their way. They both separated and held their weapons at the ready, until the vehicles came closer.

"Auria! Zane! Your both alright!" Christa yelled out in delight, as she saw her sister and Zane standing ahead of where she was driving.

"Guys! You made it out!" Cole yelled out in relief, as he drove besides Christa.

"Christa, Cole. They're alright," Auria said in relief, as she lowered her fans from getting ready to fight.

"What a relief," Zane said, as he stood up straight as well.

When they were close enough, Christa and Cole came to a stop in front of Auria and Zane, and then they reverted their vehicles back into weapons. Christa ran towards Auria, as she opened her arms wide, and then they hugged. Zane and Cole gave each other pound, and Cole patted him on the back, as Zane nodded.

After breaking the hug, Christa said, "Auria are you alright? I heard yelling over here not too long ago and that made me worry. Is everything okay?"

Auria smiled softly and said, "It's alright Christa. We're fine. We fought a shadow duplication of Darkness and we prevailed."

Auria looked towards Zane, and he nodded in agreement. Christa's eyes widened in surprise, and then Cole said,

"You fought him too? We had the same problem."

"Yeah, Lucy said that the machines were rigged from the start by Darkness," Christa added.

"Then he anticipated our actions. We must regroup with the others and save those who are still trapped," Zane said, as the others agreed.

However, Cole quickly turned around when he heard hissing and he pulled out his weapon, as he said,

"Uh, Zane, girls... we've got a problem."

Zane, Auria, and Christa immediately pulled out their weapons and looked around to see that they were surrounded by oncoming Lizarians.

"So they want to fight huh?" Christa said, as her Platinum gauntlets started to glow yellow.

"They must have been waiting to see if we decided to follow Darkness," Auria said with amazing perception.

"It's seems as though they've realized what side we're on," Zane said, as his Platinum shurikens began to glow white.

"Then let's take care of them quick," Cole said, as the other three ninja nodded, and all four stood back-to-back in a circle.

Then, when the Lizarians sprung forward, the four ninja did so as well.


	89. Chapter 89 Kickstart

**Jay:**

"Oof!" Jay yelled out, as he was back-smacked by a Shadow Lizarian, and went flying back on his stomach.

"How many times do they have to smack you before you stay down boy? You can't win," Shadow Darkness said, as he laid back in mid-air with his hands behind his head.

"I... I don't know! I can't just give up... even if I am just junk... I can't give up on my friends," Jay said, as he slowly stood up while breathing pretty hard.

Shadow Darkness clicked his tongue a few times and said, "Oh dear useless boy. You don't believe they are your friends do you? Your such a useless annoyance that I wouldn't be surprised if they already forgot about you."

Jay looked down, feeling hurt by what Shadow Darkness said and not having the strength to defy it. Then Jay looked up towards Shadow Darkness, with watery eyes, and said in a pleading voice,

"Then what do I do? What do I do Darkness?! I don't know anymore! I need help! Someone! Anyone! Help me!"

Jay fell on his hands and knees, as tears started to fall on the ground before him. Shadow Darkness smiled sinisterly, as he floated towards Jay, and then he stood in front of him.

"Then follow me," Shadow Darkness almost whispered, as he extended his hand towards Jay with a dark grin.

Jay looked up at Shadow Darkness, as he saw his hand extended towards him.

"B-But... But your e-evil..." Jay said, as he sniffled.

"But I'm the only person who is willing to help you Jay. Join me. I'll make you worth more than any treasure or invention in the world. You'll have worth and a purpose for your poor existence now," Shadow Darkness said smoothly.

Jay looked down to think about it, and then he looked up as he reached up to grab Shadow Darkness' hand. However, Jay froze for a moment, as he felt something in his heart flip.

Then Jay reached further for Shadow Darkness' hand. Shadow Darkness smiled darkly, but then his face turned into shock. Jay reached passed Shadow Darkness' hand, as he grabbed onto his forearm and said,

"Your lying..."

Jay looked at Shadow Darkness with more anger in his expression, as Shadow Darkness wasn't sure for a moment what to do.

"YOU LIE! I AM WORTH SOMETHING! WHETHER YOU THINK SO OR NOT! _EVERYONE_ IS WORTH SOMETHING, EVEN IF _THEY_ BELIEVE IT OR NOT! I KNOW NOW!" Jay shouted, as he quickly stood up, while lightning continuously sparked from his body.

"What are you-" Shadow Darkness was cut off by Jay, who said,

"I'm NOT listening to you and your LIES! I can sense Nya from here with my Lightning! Your trying to toy with her like your toying with me, and I won't HAVE IT!"

Jay's eyes started to switch between glowing blue and regular, as the lightning sparking from his body became more powerful.

"You little... you'll NEVER reach her! You lost boy! She's trapped in the shadows and so ARE YOU!" Shadow Darkness shouted, as he was able to wriggle himself out of Jay's grasp.

"You won't win Darkness... I won't let you GET AWAY!" Jay shouted, as he transformed into his Full Potential.

"NO! THIS CAN'T BE!" Shadow Darkness said, as he shielded himself with one arm from the bright light that came from Jay.

"EAT LIGHTNING DARKNESS! SUPER ULTIMATE LIGHTNING BALL!" Jay shouted, as he raised his arms skyward, which made the lightning sphere that already surrounded him intensify to the point that Jay could no longer be seen.

The lightning ball glowed brilliantly as the shadow mist that surrounded Jay could no longer handle the light and it started to sizzle and fade.

"You LITTLE BRAT-NOO!" Shadow Darkness yelled out, as he started to fade along with the shadow mist.

After the shadow mist completely faded, Jay reverted back to normal, as the lightning sphere around him disappeared.

"Whew! That was crazy..." Jay said, as he held his hand on his head.

"But that was Awesome!" Jay exclaimed, as he tightened his hands into fists and grinned.

Then a thought snapped to his mind, as he turned to see another shadow bubble not too far from himself.

"Nya!" Jay shouted, as he ran towards the shadow bubble.

"Jay! WAIT!" Jay halted when he heard Kai's voice calling him.

He saw Kai and Flare driving towards him, as they reverted their vehicles to normal when they were close to him.

"Kai. Flare. What are you two doing here? Oh! Wait! I have to save Nya first," Jay said, as he turned towards the shadow bubble with determination.

"Hold up Jay. Nya has to defeat Shadow Darkness on her own. Each of them feed off of what bothers, scares, or hurts us. Nya has to defeat him to truly get rid of him," Flare said, as she held onto his shoulder.

"But we can't leave her in there! She has to know that to fight him," Jay said, and Flare removed her hand from his shoulder.

"Then let me!" Kai said, as he ran towards the shadow mist while his body was on fire from activating his Full Potential.

"Kai! What-" Flare said, but was interrupted by Jay who said,

"Wait for me Kai! I'm coming!"

Jay also activated his Full Potential but just enough to cover his body in lightning, as he ran towards the shadow bubble.

"You guys..." Flare said, but she let them go since she knew that they could help Nya break free if she heard their voices.

Kai and Jay dove into the shadow bubble, as they maneuvered through the shadows the best they could to reach Nya.

**Nya: **

Tears were slowly falling down Nya's cheeks, as she stood sitting on the ground while holding her ears. She tried to fight the Shadow Lizarians that were chanting about her being weak, but she could only get rid of so many until she couldn't handle it, as she fell to the ground. Nya tried her best to not believe them, but it was so difficult to deal with the negativity and Shadow Darkness laughing in the background. The voices of Shadow Darkness and the Shadow Lizarians were so loud that she could barely take it any longer.

"Please STOP! I give up! I can't take it any longer!" Nya screamed out, and then the voices and laughing died down.

Nya slowly removed her hands from her ears, as she looked up to see Shadow Darkness standing before her with a light smirk on his face. He extended his hand towards her and said,

"Then join me, and you won't have to worry about being weak anymore. I'll make you stronger than the ninja."

Nya looked at Shadow Darkness' hand, and she was considering to take it, when she heard a voice shouting from the mist,

"NYA!"

Nya looked towards where she heard the voice, and then she heard another familiar voice yell out,

"NYA! IT'S US!"

After taking a moment to think, Nya recognized who the voices belonged to. She quickly stood up, while looking towards where she heard them, and said,

"Kai! Jay! You both came for me!"

"Why wouldn't I? Your my sister!" Kai said, as he was pushing his way through the shadow mist.

"And why wouldn't I? I love you!" Jay said, as he was also pushing his way through the shadow mist.

Nya gasped, and then she smiled and said, "Thank you so much Kai! And I love you too Jay"

"Really?! That's awesome!" Jay said with much excitement.

"No! Nya, don't listen to those fools!" Shadow Darkness said from behind Nya.

Nya turned around with a serious and angry expression, as she spoke, while walking towards Shadow Darkness with clenched fist as he backed up,

"YOU! Who are YOU to call them fools?! If anything, they are MY fools! And I am proud to call them my fools! YOU, on the other hand, are the fool to mess with ME! Now get OUT!"

Nya readied her fist, as she punched Shadow Darkness straight in the face, and he went flying back on his back.

"Who's weak now?!" Nya said triumphantly, as she smiled.

Before Shadow Darkness could say anymore, he slowly started to fade away.

"No... Not yet!" Shadow Darkness shouted, but then he completely faded away, as did the shadow bubble.

Kai and Jay reverted to their normal forms when they saw that the shadow bubble was gone. Nya turned towards them, and then all three of them ran towards one another.

"Nya. Your okay," Kai said in relief, as he hugged his younger sibling.

"Of course Kai. We're related," Nya said with a smile, as she hugged him back.

Then they broke their hug, as Nya turned to Jay, and then they hugged each other.

"I'm so glad your okay," Jay said.

"I'm glad you are too," Nya said.

Then they both separated from their hug, as they looked at each other lovingly.

"This is nice guys, but we really gotta go," Flare said, as she stood next to Kai.

"Flare. Your here," Nya said.

"Yup. Glad to see that your in one piece Nya," Flare said with a smile.

"Well, pieces I guess," Kai said, as he looked around the ground and saw that some of Nya's weapons were scattered around.

"Oh yeah. I better pick those up," Nya said, as she started walking towards her weapons.

Flare, Kai, and Jay also started to help out by gathering the weapons. However, when Jay picked up a katana, he noticed a group of Lizarians coming their way.

"Guys! Those lizard freaks are back!" Jay called out, as the four ran towards one another when they noticed that more Lizarians were coming.

Flare, Kai, and Jay gave Nya back her weapons, and then all four of them stood back-to-back, as they had their weapons drawn, Nya with the katana.

"Where did they come from?" Kai asked.

"They must be the Lizarians that already spawned," Nya said.

"Then let's get rid of them," Flare said.

"For good," Jay added.

Then the four lunged towards the Lizarians, as they ran forward to attack.


	90. Chapter 90 Amalgamate

**Sensei Garmadon:**

Outside of the shadow bubble, Sensei Wu and Misako were very worried about Sensei Garmadon. After he broke the machine, the shadow bubble wrapped itself around him, and then it expanded to a size that rivaled the Bounty. Misako stood on the Bounty, which they were able to sneak in after the security system was turned off, and she was looking for an opening on top of the shadow bubble. Sensei Wu stood in front of the shadow bubble, trying to find a way to get inside.

"Do you see an opening Misako?!" Sensei Wu called out.

"I don't see any opening. It's all shadows!" Misako called back.

"Hahahahahahaha!" A sinister laughter coming from the shadow bubble startled Sensei Wu and Misako.

"Oh you old fools... it's odd really... you act like you care about him. Of course, I expect that from you Misako... but not from Wu. I wouldn't be surprised if he flashed a smile knowing that his brother was out of the picture..." the voice coming from the shadow bubble became louder as a shadow version of Darkness emerged from it, yet he stood only halfway outside of it.

Misako gasped in surprise, as Sensei Wu looked at Shadow Darkness in confusion.

"What? I would never wish for my brother's demise. You are mad," Sensei Wu said.

"Oh, am I Sensei Wu? As I recall, you seemed upset when your brother was found alive after first defeating the Overlord, and I know you still have feelings for Misako," Shadow Darkness said with a smirk.

"How... how do you know this?" Sensei Wu asked, with some confusion.

"I know a lot of things about all of you. Some I've heard, other things I've _seen_ from underground... but enough about me. _Your_ the one who wants his brother out of the way so that you can keep Misako for yourself. And _your_ supposed to be the _good_ brother. Tsk," Shadow Darkness said, as he crossed his arms and shook his head.

Sensei Wu looked at Shadow Darkness in surprise, as well as Misako.

"Face it Wu, your a silent backstabber to your own brother," Shadow Darkness said, as he chuckled.

Sensei Wu stood silent for a while, as Misako looked down at him to see how he would respond. Then Sensei Wu breathed in and out, as he looked up at Shadow Darkness, and said,

"Your right."

Misako gasped a little, as she placed her hand on her mouth. Shadow Darkness smirked darkly.

Then Sensei Wu continued, "I have always had feelings for Misako, and even after my brother and Misako were married, I still held onto my feelings for her, which explains why I have been alone this whole time. I had also given up certain hope of my brother returning to good that I... wanted to move forward..."

Sensei Wu gripped his staff tighter, as he looked at Shadow Darkness with a new light in his eyes that made Shadow Darkness arch an eyebrow. Then Sensei Wu said,

"I should have never have lost hope that my brother would return to us, and... I've held onto these feelings for her for so long... when I should have let them go the day she said "I do" to him..."

Sensei Wu placed his hand over his heart, as he felt a weight lifted, and then he stood in a fighting stance with his staff and said,

"I lost my brother once, but I will NOT lose him again! Especially not to YOU!"

Sensei Wu ran straight into the shadow bubble, as he used spinjitzu and broke inside.

"You won't make it!" Shadow Darkness said, as he followed after Sensei Wu.

"Please bring him back! And be careful!" Misako yelled out after Sensei Wu.

Within the shadow bubble, Sensei Garmadon was being pulled downward into a dark abyss of bitterness, as he strive to climb upward to freedom.

"It's too late Garmadon. They probably left without you. He doesn't care. He's not a real brother," Shadow Darkness said from the shadows surrounding Sensei Garmadon.

"No... no... I can't believe that," Sensei Garmadon said, while still struggling to climb upward.

"It's no use Garmadon. It's too late. You know that," Shadow Darkness said, with a chuckle.

"No... no..." Sensei Garmadon said, as he felt his grip loosening each second.

"Brother!" A familiar voice called, as Sensei Garmadon looked upward and listened intently.

"Brother?" Sensei Garmadon asked, as he heard rapid footsteps.

Then he saw Sensei Wu appear above him, while Wu looked down at Garmadon in worry. Sensei Wu reached downward for Sensei Garmadon's hand, as he reached back.

"Just a little further," Sensei Wu said.

"What's the point Wu? You only care for Misako. She is the reason why you would help me..." Sensei Garmadon said, as he could feel the shadows that were pulling him downward grow stronger.

"No. You are my brother. My family. I'm here because I want to save _you_. I should have let go of my feelings for her a long time ago, and for that I am sorry," Sensei Wu said, as he reached lower for Garmadon.

Then Sensei Garmadon said, "I'm sorry too brother. For everything I've done wrong to you... and for believing in Darkness' lies for that moment."

"He DOESN'T CARE GARMADON! He DOESN'T!" Shadow Darkness shouted from the shadows.

"If I didn't care, then why am I here?!" Sensei Wu shouted back.

Then both brothers finally grabbed each others' hand.

"Shall we break out of here together?" Sensei Wu asked with a smile.

"Yes. Let's get out together," Sensei Garmadon replied while smiling back.

"This doesn't make sense!" Shadow Darkness said with anger in his voice.

"NINJAGOOOOO!" Wu and Garmadon shouted, as they used spinjitzu together to create a larger tornado of gold and purple.

As they moved towards where Wu jumped in from, the shadows that tried to grab them were cut and smacked away, which made them disintegrate. When they moved through the shadow wall of the bubble, they were able to make it through easily since the shadows couldn't contain or even touch them without disintegrating.

Misako watched in worry, but then she gasped with joy when she saw a tornado of gold and purple breaking out of the shadow bubble. She ran down the ramp of the Bounty, and then she stood a few feet from the whirling tornado. After a while, the tornado came to a stop, as Garmadon and Wu stood together, while they were holding each others' forearms since holding hands wouldn't have kept them stable for long.

"You made it out," Misako said with happiness and a smile to match.

Wu and Garmadon released each others' arms, as they turned to Misako. Garmadon almost fell back onto the ground when Misako nearly dove at him, as she hugged him tightly. Although surprised momentarily by her sudden movement, Garmadon smiled wholeheartedly as he hugged her back.

"Sorry for worrying you," Garmadon said, as they parted but still held hands.

"As long as your alright now, that's all that matters," Misako said, and then she turned to Wu and said, "Thank you for saving him."

"Your welcome. I'm glad your both together again," Sensei Wu said with a smile and nod, as Sensei Garmadon and Misako nodded back.

"**H**o**w**..." A voice said, as Sensei Garmadon, Sensei Wu, and Misako immediately turned towards where the voice was coming from.

In place of the shadow bubble stood Shadow Darkness with his fist shaking, and shadows pulsing around him, as if he was forcing himself to stay in place when he should have faded away. He looked at the three elders with glowing red eyes of frustration, and spoke with a corrupted and dark voice, saying,

"**H**o**w** **c**o**u**l**d** **y**o**u** **f**o**r**g**i**v**e? T**h**e**y **b**e**t**r**a**y**e**d **y**o**u**... **I** **d**o**n**'**t u**n**d**e**r**s**t**a**n**d... **Y**o**u F**o**o**l**s!**"

Shadow Darkness shot a thin dark beam at them, as Sensei Wu pushed Sensei Garmadon, who push Misako, out of the way. The beam burned a hole in the ground, but no one else was injured.

"Darkness, why are you still here?" Sensei Garmadon asked, as he helped Misako and Sensei Wu stand up.

Then Misako walked in front of Sensei Garmadon and Sensei Wu, and asked,

"Darkness, _if_ that is who you are portraying... may I ask you something?"

Shadow Darkness looked at Misako silently, letting the silence be his response to her question. Then, with a calm determination, Misako asked,

"Who betrayed you that you would attack us like this?"

Shadow Darkness' eyes widened by her question, but then they closed to slits, as the red of his eyes grew dark and furious with remembrance. Misako, Sensei Garmadon, and Sensei Wu took a few steps back, as Shadow Darkness' hands began to pulse and glow with a dangerous red and black light.

"**Everyone**," Shadow Darkness replied with venom and a hint of death in voice, as he shot a larger, high-powered beam at them.

Sensei Garmadon grabbed Misako and turned his back towards the beam, as Sensei Wu held onto Sensei Garmadon and Misako. They closed their eyes for impact, since the beam was too quick to run from, but the impact never hit them. They heard a heavy thud and a furious scream, as the sound of the beam seemed to rise upward.

When they turned around, they gasped to see Silva standing in front of them with her fists upward together, as the high-powered beam went upward and slowly disappeared.

"Silva!" Misako called out, as she ran over to her old friend.

Silva slowly lowered her arms, as she panted and turned towards Misako, and said,

"Hey old friend. It's been awhile. It looked like you needed some help."

Misako stood before Silva, and then she held onto Silva's arm right before she hit the ground.

"Silva, your injured," Misako said, as she saw burn marks and cuts on Silva's hands and forearm, as the sleeves of her shirt that reached her forearm was torn and burned.

"Eh, it's alright. But that shadow used a lot of power in that attack. He basically destroyed himself," Silva said.

Misako, Sensei Garmadon, and Sensei Wu turned towards where Shadow Darkness was, but he was no longer there.

"He really used all of his strength to destroy us," Sensei Garmadon said, with surprise in his voice.

"Your question must have really hit a nerve, Misako," Sensei Wu said, as Misako looked down to think about it.

"Yeah. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but apparently your words slapped him across the face," Silva said with a small smile, although she winced when she felt pain pulsing in her hands.

"Come on. Let's get out of here before the real Darkness shows up. I'll treat your wounds Silva," Misako said.

"Should we trust you to come aboard Silva?" Sensei Garmadon asked Silva.

"Considering that my hands are damaged, and that my son has decided to help you people, I won't be any trouble," Silva replied.

Although momentarily stunned, Sensei Garmadon, Sensei Wu, and Misako were able to shake it off, as they helped Silva on board the Bounty so that they could leave as soon as possible.


	91. Chapter 91 Substitution

**Dark Tower:**

Silver circular pulses in the form of beams, and dark laser-like beams were being fired back and forth between Raven and Darkness, while in mid-air on their dragons. They would occasionally charged each other, allowing their dragons to fight one another, and then they would separate. Although Darkness was able to find an opening and attack, Raven would summon a sound-like shield coated in silver that would protect her. This struggle between both of them went on for a while, as Lloyd could only watch from undercover, since he wanted to make sure that he would catch Darkness by surprise. Also, something inside of Lloyd was preventing him from interfering with the fight.

'_Not yet... you don't realize what power _**_he_**_has,'_ the disembodied voice spoke to Lloyd's mind.

'_But I can't just stay here,'_ Lloyd thought, replying to the voice.

'_Just a little longer,_' the disembodied voice said.

Then Lloyd saw Raven attack the Overlord with a quick beam of silver, as the beast was hit and started falling towards a building that was under it.

As Raven watched the Overlord fall on the building, and as he struggled between consciousness, she noticed that Darkness wasn't there. Then she sensed a large amount of dark power above her, as she looked up to see Darkness land right in front of her. He kicked Raven off of the Silver dragon with a power-enhanced leg, as she went flying onto the balcony of the dark tower, while the Silver dragon disappeared. Raven fell towards the balcony floor and rolled a few times until she stood on her stomach in front of the curtains. Darkness used dark wind to fly himself forward, as he landed near the edge of the balcony.

Raven was able to pick herself up slowly, as she held onto her side with one hand, and held onto the side of her face with the other. She looked up at Darkness with determination in her eyes and a scowl on her face. Darkness looked at Raven with an amused smirk.

"Shall you stop fighting me now Raven? It's already been proven that your no match for me, so may you please give up already," Darkness said, as he walked a few steps towards Raven.

"No! I will never give up! I am a kunoichi. I will never quit!" Raven said, as she took her hand away from her face and charged it with silver power.

"Oh dear girl... you still think you can win. You know nothing of the time before, or what befalls you now..." Darkness said, as he closed his eyes, and started to charge his right hand with a burgundy and black energy.

Raven shot a silver ball of energy towards him, but Darkness suddenly ran at the speed of sound, as the silver ball missed. Raven looked around for a moment, but then she was kicked in the back by Darkness, which sent her towards the railing. She was able to pick herself up quickly, but when she turned towards Darkness, he already shot his attack at her. The burgundy beam with a black mist surrounding it shot at Raven, as it encircled her in it's essence, while Darkness continued using the attack.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Raven screamed in anger and pain, as she felt the beam piercing her very being with continuous pulses.

"Yes! I got you now!" Darkness said with a smirk, but then his eyes widened when he saw a flash of gold.

"NOOOOOO!" Lloyd screamed with righteous fury, as he jumped in front of the beam and pushed it skyward with his hands that were encased in golden energy.

Darkness stopped his attack, as the rest of it disappeared into the sky. He looked forward with a more stoic expression, as he saw Lloyd standing in front of Raven with a fierce look in his eyes, Lloyd looked at Darkness with anger, but he felt pain in his hands from deflecting the attack. He stood in a fighting stance towards Darkness, as he looked from the corner of his eye at Raven. She was unconscious on the ground, as Lloyd noticed that she was still breathing so she was okay.

However, when Lloyd looked towards Darkness, he looked downward and remembered something that Sensei Wu had told him. Lloyd's eyes widened, as he realized that the situation he was in was already predicted.

'_U-Uncle's dream... the dream about me protecting Raven from a hooded person__with the Viporeon Pearl... I-I__thought the pearl being__pale had something to do with Raven but... it wasn't. The pearl was reflecting Darkness... he's the First Purple ninja, so the pearl in Uncle's dream was showing who he was! This whole time! The answer was right there and we didn't see__it!'_ Lloyd thought, as he looked up at Darkness in some surprise to his revelation.

"Aw, are you nervous boy? I mean, after our last confrontation, I'm surprised you made it this far," Darkness said, with a dark smile.

Lloyd growled a bit and said, "I'm stronger now Darkness."

Darkness snickered and said, "I don't think you are. Actually, I think your much weaker now."

As Darkness slowly approached Lloyd with a growing sinister smile, Lloyd readied himself to attack by charging-

…

…

"What?" Lloyd said in surprise, as he tried to use his golden power, but nothing happened.

Then he tried to use green energy, but nothing worked at all. He couldn't use any of his powers.

"W-What happened? Why can't I-gasp-" Lloyd said as he realized what Darkness probably did to him.

"Oh, you see it now Lloyd? That last attack wasn't exactly a _normal_ one... It had a few things linked to it, especially on the part of locking your powers up," Darkness said, as he continued to slowly walk towards Lloyd.

"No, no!" Lloyd said, as he tried to use his powers and even summon his Golden dragon, but it didn't work.

Then he turned towards Raven when he heard her stir and sit up.

"Raven!" Lloyd said, as he bent down on one knee next to her.

"L-Lloyd?" Raven said, as she shook her head and looked up at him.

"Lloyd!" Raven said in happiness, as she jumped forward and hugged him, which he returned the hug.

"How sweet," Darkness said, mockingly, as Lloyd and Raven turned towards him.

They both stood up quickly, as Lloyd stood in front of Raven to protect her.

"You two have no powers to use against me. It's too bad isn't it? Now, there is no one who could stand a chance against me," Darkness said with a sinister expression on his face, as he slowly approached them while charging dark power into his right hand.

"W-We can't use our p-powers?" Raven asked Lloyd, as she tried to use some of her silver power in her hands, but it didn't work.

"He locked them," Lloyd replied, as he still stood protectively in front of Raven, and she placed her hands on his left shoulder, with some fear.

"Now it's time to make this world into the way I want it to be. Poor. Little. Ninja!" Darkness said, as he laughed into the sky, while Lloyd and Raven were slightly shaken, but still stood their ground.

Then a sudden beam of white and red energy, from almost behind Raven and Lloyd, shot at Darkness and pushed him passed the curtains and into the dark tower. Lloyd and Raven gasped in surprise, but then they saw someone jump in front of them, about a few feet ahead.

"Ryan!" Lloyd said, as he recognized his hooded friend.

"Ryan?" Raven asked, confused.

"Go Lloyd," Ryan said, as he extended his hands outward.

"What? B-But Ryan, I can't let you fight him alone," Lloyd said, as he took a step forward and Raven followed him.

"Go now Lloyd. Take Raven and leave," Ryan said, without turning around to look at them.

"But Ryan..." Lloyd said, sadly.

"I already told you before we got here. Your mission is to take Raven and go, not to start a fight. Your not ready to fight him yet, especially now," Ryan said, referring also to the fact that Darkness locked their powers.

"I know, it's just... I can't leave my friend behind," Lloyd said, referring to Ryan.

Ryan signed and turned towards Lloyd, with a sadness that he couldn't mask behind his eyes and said,

"I know that Lloyd. But I can't let my friends be killed. Go. Please."

Lloyd looked down sadly, as Raven looked at Ryan in surprise and sadness. Ryan took a moment to look at both of them, but then he turned around since he knew that it would hurt him more to look at them any longer, knowing that he couldn't leave with them.

"Go now. He's not going to stay down long, and I can only buy you so much time," Ryan said, as he charged his fist with white and multicolored energy.

Lloyd looked up, and then he nodded, as he turned towards Raven and held her hand. Raven looked at Lloyd and nodded, and then they started running towards the stairs that were near the side of the balcony.

"Stay strong Ryan," Lloyd said before he left.

"You too," Ryan said, as he could sense that Darkness was moving towards him.

As Lloyd and Raven ran quickly down the stairs, Ryan took a moment to breath in and out, as he waited for Darkness to come forth. He heard footsteps, as Ryan looked forward with more fierceness, while Darkness emerged from behind the torn curtains.

"So you decided to get in the way... then I can assume that you helped Lloyd get this far huh?" Darkness said with a stoic expression and a fake little smile.

"Darkness. You have caused enough damage and problems for everyone. What is it that you are hoping to achieve?" Ryan asked, as he stood in a fighting stance.

"Oh dear boy, you really think you can fight me... but about your question, well..." Darkness said, as he stood in a fighting stance as well, and added,

"I have my reasons, and you will see soon **enough**."

Darkness ran towards Ryan, as Ryan ran towards Darkness. When their powers clashed, it made the sound of rolling thunder and lighted that part of the sky like lightning.

Lloyd and Raven:

As they ran down the tower, Lloyd was explaining to Raven that Ryan had come to help him save her, and that he wanted to help the ninja instead of Darkness. He briefly told her about Ryan's past, and that Ryan helped him get as far as he had made it into the city to rescue her. After that, Raven told Lloyd about what Darkness was showing her in the city, about the Lizarians, and that Darkness had given her the new/old Purple Ninja gi that she was wearing. Lloyd asked if it was poisonous or if she felt faint, and Raven replied that she already fainted moments ago with Darkness' attack, but that the clothes were fine.

When they finally made it to ground level, Raven and Lloyd kept running away from the tower. However, they stopped running when they realized that there was really no where else to go to on foot.

"Wait... what's that sound?" Raven asked, as she heard something, but she couldn't use her sound power to distinguish it.

"What is that?" Lloyd asked, as he heard the sound growing louder.

Then they looked and saw something light blue heading towards them from the streets ahead. They stood looking at it as it grew closer, and then they were able to distinguish the sound as the humming of an engine. When the vehicle finally came closer, Lloyd and Raven gasped when they saw that Lucy was driving it. She stopped in front of them, as she waved and said,

"Lloyd! Raven! You're both alright! It's me Lucy! Of course, Ha Ha, you can obviously see that."

Lloyd and Raven looked towards one another and smiled, as they turned towards Lucy.

"You came just in time," Lloyd said, while Raven nodded.

"Cool! Come on let's go. We're going to regroup with the others," Lucy said.

"The others are here?" Lloyd asked, referring to the Ninja, as Lucy nodded.

"I hope they're okay," Raven said, as she and Lloyd jumped on Lucy's vehicle and sat in the back seat, which was large enough to fit both of them.

"I'm sure they'll be okay. Let's roll," Lucy said, as she revved her engine, and then she started driving away from the tower.

As they started driving, a thundering sound boomed above and behind them, as Raven and Lloyd looked behind them toward the dark tower.

"Ryan," Lloyd almost whispered.

"Ryan? Where is he?" Lucy asked.

"He's up there on the tower. He's fighting Darkness so that we could escape," Lloyd said, before Raven could stop him.

"WHAT?!" Lucy screamed out, as she swerved her vehicle and looked towards the tower.

"My Ryan... wh-what are you doing? Fighting him alone..." Lucy said, almost whimpering.

Lloyd looked at her in surprise, while Raven looked at her sadly, but then she gently placed her hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"Lucy, I know you must feel mixed up right now, but Ryan gave us a way to escape from Darkness. I-It's the only way he could think of. We have to leave, while we still have the chance..." Raven said, as her eyes became misty and she looked towards Lloyd.

Lloyd looked at her, and he realized that she looked at him as if she was imagining if he was up there instead of Ryan. Then Raven turned back towards Lucy, as she could feel Lucy sniffle by the jerking movement of her shoulders. Raven also said,

"I know it's hard to leave him there to fight Darkness, but this is our only way to escape now. He wanted us to go. He knew what he was doing. We can't let this time he gave us go to waste. W-We have to go. I'm sorry."

After a split moment, Lucy placed her hand on Raven's and patted it, as she revved up her engine. Raven sat back, as Lucy turned the vehicle around and kept driving.

"O-Okay. Okay. Let's go, quickly," Lucy said, as her tears were brushing through her hair since she was driving pretty fast.

Lloyd looked towards Raven, and he wrapped his arm around her and said,

"That was a brave thing for you to say Raven. Even if it hurt you to think about it, you still told her what she needed to hear," Lloyd whispered in Raven's ear.

Raven sniffled and said, "I could only really tell her that because I pictured how it would feel..."

Lloyd held Raven close, comfortingly, as she laid her head on his shoulder. Lucy looked at them from the corner of her eye and she smiled, as she looked forward.

'_That's why you wanted to save them Ryan..._' Lucy thought, as she gained her courage to press forward.


	92. Chapter 92 Detriment

**Ninja- Zane, Auria, Cole, and Christa: **

"There's so many of them!" Christa said, as she punched a red-eyed lizarian while sending a wave of sound that knocked back the others behind him.

"We can't give up! We're getting close!" Auria called out from her side, as she spun around and slashed back a few blue-eyed and red-eyed lizarians.

"We need to keep going!" Cole called out from his side, as the red-eyed and orange-eyed lizarians pile-dived him, but he smacked them off himself.

"We need to exit quickly, before anymore come!" Zane called out from his side, as he froze a few orange-eyed and a green-eyed lizarians.

"Then let's beat them down!" Christa called out, as she charged her gauntlets and punched the ground, which sent a sound wave that knocked the lizarians that surrounded her off of their feet.

"Woah ho! Christa, your REALLY beating them down!" Cole called out to her, as he stood on an earth pillar, and saw her punch the ground.

"Thanks! And your beating them up!" Christa called out to him, but then she saw a group of orange-eyed lizarians flying towards them, while carrying other various yellow, red, and blue-eyed lizarians.

Cole knocked down his pillar and crushed a group of lizarians that were trying to get him, and Auria and Zane were too preoccupied to notice the aerial assault. Christa was already somewhat tired from fighting Shadow Darkness, and she knew that the others were tired too, even though they were fighting well, but too many lizarians may overwhelm them.

"No, I can't let them fall. They might not get up so easily," Christa thought out loud, as her eyes started to glow yellow, and she momentarily used her Full Potential.

Cole, Zane, and Auria noticed that Christa was using her Full Potential, as she made three large sound shields above them that blocked the lizarians from landing on them. The three looked up and noticed that lizarians being held up by the shield, and they thanked Christa for guarding them.

"No problem, just let me get rid of them!" Christa called out, as she closed her hands and then opened them wider.

In that moment, the translucent sound shields of pulsing yellow began to glow brightly and they burst upward towards the sky with a high-pitched exploding sound, which sent the lizarians on top or above them scattering far away into the sky.

"Amazing!" Cole said.

"Incredible," Zane said.

"That was awesome Christa!" Auria called out to her, as Christa smiled widely at her sister.

"Stay where you are!" Christa called out.

Then she charged her fists with glowing multicolored power, as she cupped her hands in front of her mouth, and shouted with such power that it sounded like the mighty roar of a beast. The only ones who were hit with the mighty roar were the lizarians, as they all went flying back away from the Ninja. Zane, Auria, and Cole covered themselves from the attack, but they were more surprised at that fact that they weren't effected by it, as if Christa was controlling her sound in such a way that it didn't touch them or make them deaf from the powerful sound.

After Christa ceased roaring, she dropped her hands to her sides, as her Full Potential also faded, and she sunk to the ground on her knees.

"Whew! That was a lot," Christa said, as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"That was epic," Cole said, as he started walking towards Christa.

"It's amazing how much power we have at our disposal that we're not yet aware of," Zane said, as he started walking towards Christa.

"Yes, it's incredible, and quite stunning," Auria said, as she started walking towards her sister.

Christa stood on her knees where she was, as she saw the others walking towards her; Cole being the closest and Zane being the farthest, while Auria was in between. Then Christa heard the rumbling of wheels, as she turned towards her left and saw a stone-built tower on black wheels that had a large crossbow on top, with a green-eyed lizarian behind the crossbow, and a person next to it. The person looked like they were being possessed by something, since half of their face was dark purple with a red eye, half of their hair was brown while the other half was gray, and they had a crazed look and smile on their face.

"Take at least one down!" The possessed man in all black said to the green-eyed lizarian, as it aimed the crossbow at Christa.

Christa gasped in shock, and also because she couldn't move in that moment after using her Full Potential with such beastliness. The other Ninja saw this, and they were already running towards Christa.

As the green-eyed lizarian took aim and was ready to fire the crossbow, Christa was using all of her strength to try and stand up to move.

'_I-I cant move in time. I can't move quick enough!'_ Christa thought in panic, as she tried to move.

Right when the green-eyed lizarian pressed the button to release the arrow, Cole jumped in front of Christa.

"What are you DOING?!" Christa yelled out in surprise and panic when she saw Cole standing in front of her as the arrow was being released.

"Protecting my lady!" Cole yelled out, as he braced himself for pain, since he couldn't use his Full potential yet, since he used it not too long ago before.

"No!" Christa called out with tears forming around her eyes, as the large arrow shot forward.

-PHIFT! Crackle!-

Christa's jaw dropped in shock with her eyes widened, as tears streamed down her cheeks. Zane slowed down his pace, as his eyes widened and he gasped. Cole's eyes widened as he stood in place, almost frozen. The arrow pierced on the upper left side of the chest, and went through the body, but only half of the arrow went through since it was pretty long.

Christa started to shake, as she screamed out the name of the one who was shot with the arrow with much pain and shock in her voice,

"AURIA!"


	93. Chapter 93 A Shadow's Fury

**Ninja- Kai, Flare, Jay, Nya:**

"They just keep coming!" Jay said, as he electrocuted a group of red-eyed lizarians.

"That's why we have to keep fighting!" Kai said, as he slashed towards a group of lizarians and a fire wave burst forth from his Platinum sword and burned them.

"This isn't going anywhere if we just keep fighting! There has to be a way out of here!" Flare said, as she jumped into her shadow, and then she jumped out as shadow claws and slashes attacked the lizarians that surrounded her.

"We have to make a break in the group of lizarians so that we can escape!" Nya said, as she slashed a few lizarians with a katana in each hand.

"Then we need to attack all at once, together!" Kai said, as he started slashing his way to the others.

"I'm coming!" Flare said, as she slapped a red-eyed lizarian in the face with her hand.

"I'm coming soon!" Jay said, as he smacked two lizarians with his Platinum nunchunks.

Nya was watching the lizarians that were slowly creeping towards her, as she readied her katanas to strike them if they lunged forward. However, Nya failed to notice that a certain lizarian was sneaking her way through the crowd, and she stood low to the ground just behind Nya. When three red-eyed lizarians lunged forward, Nya was able to slash at them and send them flying back with cuts across their abdomens. In the moment when Nya stopped moving after her attack, the purple-eyed lizarian that was low to the ground behind her quickly reached forward and bit her back leg. Nya was surprised by the sudden strike, as she turned while jumping away from what bit her. She saw that it was a purple-eyed lizarian, who slowly stood up on two feet, while a slither of dark purple liquid seamed from her teeth.

Nya looked at the purple-eyed lizarian in puzzlement, and she gasped when the creature started to chuckle with a guttural voice. Then the purple-eyed lizarian slipped away through the crowd of lizarians, almost like a shadow, as Nya tried to run after her. However, Nya stopped when her vision started to blur between blinks. She held her back hand on her head, as she started to feel the leg that was bitten grow more numb by the moment. Nya fell to the ground helplessly, as she dropped her katanas. She stood propped on one elbow while holding her head with one hand and groaning from nausea.

"Wh-What h-happened... W-What's h-happening..." Nya said, as she could feel that it was getting more difficult to speak.

"NYA!" Kai called out to his sister when he saw her drop to the ground, and still surrounded by lizarians.

"NO!" Jay screamed out when he saw Nya hit the ground, and when he noticed that the lizarians were moving closer to her.

"Don't you dare touch my FRIEND!" Flare yelled out, when she noticed the lizarians encircling Nya.

The three Ninja used their elements to push the lizarians that were around them away, as they quickly ran over to where Nya was. They each attacked at the same time with elemental slashes of their own element that knocked the lizarians that surrounded Nya far away. They encircled Nya, as Jay and Kai knelt down besides her on each side, while Flare kept an eye on the lizarians.

"Nya! Are you alright? What's wrong?" Kai asked with much concern.

"She looks pale, a-and she's trembling," Jay said, with a worried expression.

"We have to get out of here guys. These lizarians aren't going to stay down for long. They're tough," Flare said, as she held her weapons at the ready, since the lizarians were slowly rising from the ground.

"W-Where can we go now? Nya is hurt, or sick, or something!" Jay said, worry clearly present in his voice.

"Calm down Jay. We can carry her on one of our vehicles remember?" Flare asked.

"Heh... Oh yeah," Jay said, while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Kai signed and said, "Then let's go."

Nya started to whimper, as she held onto her arms while shivering, as if she was cold inside.

"She's getting worse," Kai said, as he held his backhand on her forehead.

-Boom- -BOOM- -BOOM!- -BOOM!-

Stomping was heard some yards behind the Ninja, as the lizarians that were in front of them started to lower themselves and back away. The Ninja were confused for a moment, and then they turned towards the booming and realized that it was stomping.

"Oh. My. Good. Ness." Flare said, as she stared in awe at the large lizarian that was approaching them slowly.

"What the..." Kai trailed off as he examined the large beast, while still staying knelt besides Nya.

"Oh hohoho, no," Jay said, as he held his hands near his mouth with surprise and some fear.

The large lizarian that stood before them had a black band around it's white glowing eyes, while the rest of it's body was composed of dark gray scales. It stood on two bulky, four-clawed, flat feet with cylinder-like legs that walked forward. It's torso was muscular, as well as it's arms, and each hand had four white claws. It's shoulders had padding made up of sharp scales that spiked horizontally slightly upward. The neck and head was like a dragon, with four spikes that spiked out towards the back of it's head, and a long, broad snout with short, white, sharp teeth. It was as tall as five ninja standing on top of each others' shoulders, and it's shoulder length was four ninja wide, and three ninja wide for the waist.

The three Ninja looked at this beast in surprise, and Flare said,

"That's the bulky lizarian from the video message from Falcon."

"Well apparently, Falcon's vision is like a car mirror, it's deceiving!" Jay shouted in panic.

"We can still take it on," Kai said, as he stood up and held his fire sword firmly.

"But we need to get Nya out of here now. I have a funny feeling about her condition," Flare said, as she could sense that something dark was creeping in Nya's bloodstream.

Kai and Jay looked equally worried towards Flare, until the black-eyed lizarian before them roared like a lion, but with a deeper voice.

"Let's get this thing out of the way, and then we'll go," Kai said, and Flare and Jay agreed.

The black-eyed lizarian started running towards them, as the three Ninja ran forward and attacked with elemental slashes like before. The Beast(Black-eyed lizarian) stopped running and blocked it's body with one arm from the slashes. After the impact of the attacks, the Ninja went to attack again as a team. However, the Beast swept it's blocking arm towards the Ninja, which blocked their attacks, and then it punched with it's other hand as the Ninja were hit back. They rolled across the ground, as the Ninja were able to get their footing afterward.

"What the what! -Pant- He just smacked us l-like if we were flies," Jay said, as he held his knees with his hands.

"He's a beast," Flare said, as she wiped the side of her mouth with her free hand.

"Then we need to get stronger," Kai said, as he slowly pushed himself up to stand straight.

"But we used our Full Potentials before Kai. -Pant- It would be dangerous if we used it without resting up," Jay said, as he slowly stood up straight.

The Beast started walking slowly towards the Ninja.

"There's nothing else we can do. We have to get Nya out of here, and this beast is strong," Kai said, and then he turned towards Flare to see what she thought.

However, Kai was surprised to see that Flare was looking up with a bewildered expression on her face. Jay noticed this too, as he looked at her in surprise too, but then he heard Nya whimper, which made him turn his attention to her for a moment. He knelt down next to Nya, as he stroked her hair to comfort her in some way, and then he looked back towards Flare.

"Flare, what's wrong? Are you sensing something? Is someone coming?" Kai asked.

"..." Flare didn't respond, as her face grew pale.

"Flare. What is it?" Kai asked again, with more concern, as he took a step towards her.

"N...N... No... No... I-It can't be... why..." Flare started saying, as she stood almost frozen in place and lowered her head.

"What? What can't be?" Kai asked, as he stepped closer to her.

Oddly, the Beast had stopped walking and was letting them have a moment to speak to one another. Most likely, the Beast knew it's own strength, and it didn't mind waiting.

"It's... It's Auria... I can sense her strength depleting. It's dangerously low... as if... as if she's..." Flare couldn't continue her sentence, as her eyes became watery.

"What? Auria? No way," Kai said, as he stood next to Flare.

"B-But she's the s-strongest of most of us. She can't be," Jay said, with a surprised expression.

"I can sense the others too... they won't last long..." Flare said, as started to almost tremble, and then she fell on one knee.

"Flare," Kai said, as he stood closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"No No No! This isn't right! We found our Full Potentials, we got stronger, we fought the shadow bubbles... why is this happening? Why to Auria?!" Flare said, as one tear slid down her cheek.

"Calm down Flare. We're going to make it through this. We have to be strong even when everything looks like it's going crazy. We can't give up just because of what the situation looks like," Kai said, as he rubbed Flare's shoulders with one hand, comfortingly.

"Uh Kai, the Beast is moving again!" Jay yelled out, as he pointed towards it, and Kai looked up.

The Beast started walking towards them, as he readied his claws to attack. Kai quickly moved forward towards the Beast, as he readied his Fire sword by igniting it on fire.

"Bring it!" Kai shouted, as he ran towards the Beast and attacked.

Jay stood up, and was about to help, when he felt a stinging pain on his left leg and right hand. He jumped and turned around to see that a green-eyed lizarian had bite his hand, and that a yellow-eyed lizarian bit his leg. The two lizarians ran back to the crowd of lizarians, as they stood waiting for the black-eyed lizarian to finish it's fight.

Then Jay's right leg stiffened up, as he fell to the ground. He tried to move it, but it didn't budge, as his right hand started to spaz and twitch uncontrollably.

"Ah! AH! What's HAPPENING?! Ah! AH! AAHH!" Jay screamed in panic, as his hand continued to shake, and his leg was still limp.

Nya was still shaking and whimpering from the pressure on her head and the tremendous pain in her leg. Flare was trying to calm herself down, although she could still sense the wavering strengths of her friends. Kai was still battling the Beast, but it was too powerful of an adversary for one ninja to fight alone. At one point, the Beast was able to slap Kai, as he rolled a few feet on the ground and came to a stop on his back. His arms and legs were spread out as he tried to take a breath and then stand up. However, the Beast was too fast for him, as it jumped and landed on the ground on the other side of Kai where his head was pointing to.

Kai didn't realize that the Beast was trying to immobilize him, until it raised it's fists and slammed them on his arms. Two cracks were heard, as Kai felt his arms become numb, and then surging pain pounded through them.

"Wh- AAAAAAHHHHH!" Kai screamed at the top of his lungs from the sudden surge, although his hand never let go of his Platinum sword.

"KAI!" Jay screamed out, when he saw what happened, but he couldn't move much to save him.

"This isn't happening, this ISN'T HAPPENING!" Jay yelled out in panic.

Then the Beast lifted it's arms and stood back, as it smirked at Kai, and then turned away towards the others. It started making it's way towards Jay, since he was screaming, but then it stopped walking when it felt a dense power of built-up rage ready to explode. It turned towards the dense power, and it's eyes widened when it saw a mist of shadows emanating from Flare, as the ground around her was full of darker shadows that started to rise up from the ground in the form of sharp vines.

"You... you **dare** to mess with **us**... you've all harmed my friends... you've all hurt my friends here... and you had the **nerve... the audacity**... to touch my Fire Guy... I'll. Freaking. **Break. YOU!**" Flare said, as she looked up at the Beast with glowing orange eyes that had a dangerous glow of black around them.

The Black-eyed lizarian took a step back, as the other lizarians watched in surprise. Jay's mouth hung wide open, and even Nya was able to look up and look at Flare in shock. Kai found the strength to move with his body without his arms, as he was able to sit up and see Flare's display of power.

"Woah..." Kai said, but then he winced from the pain still present in his arms.

The Black-eyed lizarian growled, as it started walking towards Flare, and readied it's fist to attack. Flare stood in the same place, as the shadows around her started to move around her more quickly. Then the Black-eyed lizarian made a quick sprint towards Flare and punched. However, Flare slightly moved her hand upward, as a large shadow claw like a hawk's talon rose from the ground and grabbed the Black-eyed lizarians arm. It was confused at first, but then the Black-eyed lizarian tried to wriggle itself free from the shadow claw's grasp.

But Flare wasn't through yet, as she flicked her hand towards the Beast, and another shadow talon grabbed it's other arm. Then she flicked her hand again and again, as more shadow talons rose from the ground and grabbed the Beast, and some of them wrapped around it's torso and legs to hold it in place.

The Black-eyed lizarian struggled and roared, but it was at Flare's mercy at this point. Then Flare extended her hands downward, and then upward, as her hands were glowing dark orange. A tremor of some sort was felt in the ground, mostly underneath the Black-eyed lizarian, as two large, black wedges rose up from the shadowy ground and pointed upward towards the sky. As it moved higher, the wedges showed to not be what they seemed:

At least three sets of sharp, white teeth protruded from the inside of the wedges, now seen as the two halves of a large mouth, with two long orange fangs on one side of the mouth, and orange eyes peering up from the shadows on that same side. The large mouth that looked like the form of an eel's head reached upward just above the Black-eyed lizarian.

As the Black-eyed lizarian realized that it's end was near, it screamed and hollered and roared into the sky, as it tried to wriggle out of it's restraint, only to realize that it was futile. Then Flare turned her palms towards one another, as she smacked them together. In that moment, the large shadow mouth immediately clasped shut, with the Black-eyed lizarian inside, as Flare moved her hands downward, which made the shadow mouth retreat back to the shadows it came from.

After the shadow mouth was gone, along with the screams of it's victim, the shadows around Flare calmed down and retreated to just swirling around her. Kai, Jay, and Nya were in awe, and the lizarians that were watching were struck with fear, which kept them almost frozen in place.

Then Flare turned towards the group of lizarians, and they all took a step back. As Flare changed into her Full Potential form, she yelled out,

"You Think I Forgot About YOU GUYS!"

As Flare lunged towards the lizarians with smaller shadow mouths enveloped around her hands, the lizarians screamed in panic, as the others watched in surprise.


	94. Chapter 94 Escape

**Ninja: Zane, Auria, Cole, Christa's**

Everyone stood frozen in place, as they watch the arrow pierce Auria's chest. She stood with her arms out protectively in front of Cole and Christa, as she heard her sister scream out her name. Auria's hands started to tremble from the pain of the strike, but she kept herself as still as she could so that she wouldn't topple over. Determination to protect her loved ones was present in her facial expression, as she asked,

"A-Are you t-two alright?"

Christa was somewhat relieved that her sister spoke, but she was highly worried about her. Zane was shocked, and fearful for Auria because he wasn't sure on how to help her, since she was a Cynoichi, and he was scared that she would collapse and never wake up. Cole was bewildered by Auria's action, but he was able to regain his speech when he heard her speak.

"W-Why... Why w-would you do this Auria? I... It shouldn't be you. It should've been m-me," Cole said, while stuttering.

Auria turned towards Cole slowly, with a small smile on her face, which made Cole's eyes widen even more. Then Auria replied,

"Y-You were willing to d-die for my sister... my d-dearest little sister... I-I've always wanted her t-to be with someone w-who would do that... That's why... if anything h-happens to me...at least I know that... I l-left her in good hands... with you, Cole."

Cole's eyes started to moisten, as Christa held her hand to her mouth with tears streaming down her eyes. Zane's bottom lip began to quiver, as his eyes started to fill with tears.

"One almost down, three more to actually take down," the crazed person said to the lizarian behind the cross bow.

Auria turned around and was able to grab her Wind fans from the sides of her belt, as she attached them together to form one large fan. Then she charged the large fan with wind, although she winced from the arrow still lodged in her chest. Auria was ready to attack the crossbow tower, as the lizarian and crazed person were reloading the crossbow.

'_She can't attack it like this, but her will is not tameable at this point,'_ Zane thought as he continued running towards her.

"Hurry up and load it-" the crazed person said, but cut off when he noticed two forces about to whip him, the lizarain, and the tower he was standing on.

Zane stood next to Auria as he kept one arm around her shoulders, and his other hand on her hand that held the large Wind fan. Auria looked towards Zane, with slightly glossy eyes, as Zane looked at her with sadness in his eyes. Then Auria noticed that Zane's hand was glowing light blue, as he was adding his ice to her wind-enhanced fan to make it stronger. Zane nodded towards Auria, as she nodded back, and then they turned towards the crossbow tower.

Zane and Auria moved their hands that were holding the Wind fan, and then they upward slashed towards where the tower was, as a powerful gust of ice and wind shot towards the tower. On impact, the ice gust exploded in a whirlwind of ice that encased the tower along with the two on top of it. Their screams of pain were heard, and cracking and shattering was heard as the tower was being broken apart piece by piece until it was obliterated. The two on top of the tower were thrown away from it before it was destroyed, and they broke straight into a building that was close by from the windows. After the ice whirlwind destroyed the tower and left it in a broken pile of pieces, it dispersed into the air.

After this, Zane felt Auria grow heavier, as she fell back into his arms. Zane knelt down on the ground, while he was holding Auria in his arms. Cole and Christa came closer to them, as Cole stood on one side of Auria, and Christa stood near her sister's head.

"Oh Auria," Zane nearly whispered, as a single tear fell down his cheek.

"Sister, a-are you alright?" Christa asked, worried that if her sister closed her eyes that she may not open them again.

"Please. Hang in there Auria. W-We'll get you back to the Bounty. Just PLEASE hang in there," Cole said, as his shoulders started to tremble.

"P-Please. Don't be s-so sad... I'm happy to s-see that your all safe," Auria said, with a small smile, although a little bit of a red substance was dripping from the side of her mouth.

"How can we not sister?! We love you. We ALL love you! I can't lose you! Not like before... please Auria! Don't die!" Christa said, as she placed her hand near the side of Auria's face.

Auria smiled at Christa and said, "Your strong Christa... stay strong..."

Auria winced, as she closed her eyes for a moment from the pain in her chest.

"Oh Auria," Christa said, as she lowered her head and let her tears flow.

Then screeching and movement was heard, as Cole and Zane looked up to see a group of lizarians coming their way to attack. Cole stood up on his feet, as he looked towards the group of lizarians, and Zane looked up at him and noticed the intensity in his eyes grow dark and angry.

"I've had enough of these darn monsters... I've had enough of ALL OF THIS!" Cole said, as he started walking towards the lizarians with clenched fist that were glowing brown with rocks floating around them.

"Cole," Zane said, but he stopped because he knew that Cole wasn't going to hear him.

"You freaks... I'll break ALL of you... I'll BREAK ALL OF YOU!" Cole screamed out, as his eyes started to glow a silvery brown, and he changed into his Full Potential.

Then Cole charged towards the lizarian group, as he started attacking them with full strength and utterly annihilating them with each attack he used. He would punch and kick the lizarians, and then he would raise the ground so that the lizarian would hit it and bounce back towards him so that he could hit them again. Then he stomped the ground and broke it open so that the lizarians would fall in, and then he would close the ground up so that they would be crushed. Also, Cole started to shoot Earth spikes from his hands at the lizarians and stave them with each strike without missing, while saying,

"How do YOU like it!"

During Cole's onslaught on the lizarians, Zane was examining Auria's wound, and he estimated that they still had enough time to bring her to the Bounty and have Sensei Reine and his father treat her wound, considering that Sensei Reine did help fix Auria into a cyborg. Christa was helping her sister to stay awake, although it wasn't much work since Auria was doing pretty well to stay up.

However Christa felt that something wasn't right. She looked up to see that Cole was still fighting the lizarians and defeating them easily, but that he was still using his Full Potential. After a moment to think about it, Christa realized that Cole was exceeding the limits of his Full Potential since seven minutes past.

"H-He has to stop... He can't exceed the limit for long or he might..." Christa said, as her eyes widened and she stood up on her feet.

"Please Christa, stop him. I'll take care of her," Zane said, as he held Auria more firmly.

Christa nodded, and then she hurried over to where Cole was, although she kept her distance since he was still fighting.

"Cole! Stop!" Christa cried out while cupping her mouth with her hands.

Cole turned towards Chirsta, with a distraught expression of rage, as he was breathing heavily. Christa's eyes widened, and then she said,

"You have to stop! You've already exceeded five minutes in Full Potential form! You have to cut it off!"

Cole took a moment to think about it, but then he replied, "No! I can't! Not after what happened to her! I won't let them hurt anyone of us again! I won't let ANYONE hurt US!"

Cole turned around towards another group of lizarians, who were coming his way, and he punched the ground as it cracked towards them. Then the ground sunk in underneath the lizarians, as they fell and screamed when they were staved by earth spikes near the bottom of the hole.

'_Eight minutes,_' Christa thought, keeping track of time, as she ran closer to Cole.

"Please Cole! You have to stop now! I know it hurts to see people we care about get hurt..." Christa said, as tears started falling down her cheeks, and then she added,

"But it would hurt more if we lost YOU too!"

Cole's eyes widened and he gasped in realization of what Christa was saying. He looked towards her and noticed the tears falling down her cheeks, and that she was struggling to stand in place since the Earth near her was shifting in reaction to him.

"Christa. I... I'm so sorry. I thought..." Cole said, and trailed off.

"It okay, just, please calm down," Christa said, as she lowered her hands down.

'_Nine minutes,_' Christa thought, as she hoped he would cut off his Full Potential now.

Cole breathed in and out slowly, as his Full Potential conceded and he turned back to normal. Cole looked behind him to see the destruction he caused, and he whistled and said,

"Man... This power is no joke."

As Cole turned around, Christa tackle hugged him, although they didn't fall down. Christa nuzzled her head into his chest, as Cole smirked and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry about that," Cole said, as he frowned.

Christa looked up at him and said, "I forgive you Cole, and I understand why you did that. You wanted to protect everyone. I feel the same way, but we need to keep our heads together, okay?"

Cole nodded, and then they parted from their hug. Cole and Christa started quickly walking towards where Zane and Auria were. However, Cole started to slow down his pace, as he started to see hazy and he slowly lost feeling in his feet. A few feet away from Zane and Auria, Cole fell on his knees, and then he fell on his stomach and face. Christa heard Cole fall on his knees, and when she turned around, he was on the ground, unconscious.

Christa ran next to Cole and knelt down next to him, and said with worry,

"Cole! Cole! Oh no. Please Cole, wake up!"

Christa gently shook the Earth ninja to wake him up, but it was to no avail. He didn't budge, but Christa knew that he was still alive since she could hear his heart beating.

"We need to leave now," Zane said, as he stood up while carrying Auria in his arms.

At this point, Auria was half unconscious. Christa looked up at Zane and asked,

"B-But, what do we do?"

"We leave Ninjago city and bring both of them to Sensei Reine and my father. I'm sure they'll know what to do," Zane said, as his Platinum ice shurikens started to glow from the side of his belt.

Then a flash occurred, which made Christa look away for a moment, and then when she turned back to Zane, he was on his Platinum vehicle with Auria laying in the backseat.

"Let's go," Zane said to Christa, and she nodded.

Christa was able to lift Cole, as her Platinum gauntlets started to glow, and then a flash occurred.

Christa stood on her own Platinum vehicle, as Cole stood laying on the backseat.

"Let's hurry," Christa said, and Zane nodded towards her.

Zane and Christa drove as fast as they could to escape Ninjago city, with their loved ones in the backseats, clinging to life.

_Ninja: Kai, Flare, Jay, Nya:_

A moment of silence consumed the air, as Flare returned to her normal form in exactly five minutes, which was just enough to take care of the group of lizarians that stood in the sidelines. Flare took a moment to breath and compose herself, as Jay struggled to move towards Nya, and Kai was able to sit up with his legs only, although his arms were still messed up and numb.

Then Flare quickly turned around and assessed the situation that they were in, and thought,

'_Okay... Nya is likely poisoned and she can't move, Jay can't move one of his legs and his arm is spazzing out, and Kai... his arms are all messed up... Hm... I can summon my vehicle, but I can only carry one person, but Jay might be able to... Wait, that's it!'_

Flare quickly headed towards Kai, as she said, "Guys I have an idea."

"What is it?" Jay asked, as he stood sitting next to Nya, while his arm punched him in his face.

"Ouch!" -Jay

Flare knelt down next to Kai, as she caressed his cheek with a sad expression and said, "I'm so sorry Kai. If I would have fought earlier-"

Kai cut her off and said, "Don't beat yourself up about it. You still fought to save us anyway, thank you Flare."

Flare smiled, although sadness still present in her eyes, as she lightly kissed Kai on his cheek, which brought a pink tint to his face.

"Alright..." Flare said, as she held her Platinum scimitar and it glowed brightly until it flashed.

Then Flare stood on her Platinum vehicle, while Kai stood in the back seat.

"Jay, can you summon your vehicle with wheels?" Flare asked the Lightning ninja.

"Uh, I can try," Jay said, as he held onto his Platinum nunchunks with his good hand and tried to summon his vehicle.

It worked, and after the flash, Jay was in his Platinum vehicle, along with Nya in the backseat. The jet-like platinum vehicle stood on the ground with three wheels to keep it up. Then Flare drove her vehicle in front of Jay's, and shadow claws came from the sides of her vehicle and grasped onto the sides of Jay's.

"I'll drive, and you just follow the best you can. We're getting out of here," Flare said to Jay, and he nodded.

"Let's go-OW!" Jay said, as his hand slapped him across the face.

Then they drove off, heading out of Ninjago city.


	95. Chapter 95 Treatment

About half an hour later, Outside of Ninjago City:

"Are they coming back soon?" Sensei Reine asked her husband, as they stood on a sand hill with the Verpentine and Vampires just below them, waiting for the Ninja to come back.

"I'm sure they will come, but they need to get here soon. We have more problems to deal with," King Terrin replied to his wife, as he held his black cellphone in his hand.

"When are they coming? We have trouble brewing in my kingdom and I DON'T LIKE IT!" A voice on the phone said, as Terrin and Reine looked at the cell phone in Terrin's hand.

"We know Malentha. We'll make sure to send some of the Serpentine and Viporeons to help you," Sensei Reine said over the phone to Malentha.

"Well they better hurry. I didn't want to leave Arun alone there, but you said you may need my help," Malentha said over the phone.

Then Terrin looked towards Ninjago city, and he noticed the Bounty coming their way.

"It looks like the Bounty is coming, send the troops now," Terrin told Reine, and she nodded.

"Go for it," Reine said, as she turned towards Marcell, who stood near the armies.

"Okay, group Serpentine and Viporeans go! Violet, Dareth, go lead them!" Marcell said, as they all nodded.

"Yes! Time to fight some bad guys," Dareth said, as he turned towards the selected group of Serpentine and Viporeons.

"Let's move!" Violet said, as she jumped on an aerocycle that Dr. Julien was able to quickly construct with extra parts left behind by the Bounty so that it could travel quicker through the city, with Dareth sitting behind her.

As Violet and Dareth drove towards Volcanic Kingdom, the selected group of Verpentine traveled behind them.

"Okay, I'll be there soon," Malentha said over the phone, and then she hung up.

The Bounty finally came to a stop on the sand near the remaining Verpentine, Vampires, and their leaders, as the ramp was laid out on the sand to the deck.

"You guys finally made it?" Terrin asked, noticing that the Ninja weren't on the Bounty.

"We took care of what we needed to, but I am surprised that the Ninja haven't made it back," Sensei Wu said, as he walked down the ramp with Sensei Garmadon.

"I'm worried about them, even if they could handle themselves... no one is prepared to face Darkness," Sensei Garmadon said.

Then Misako and Silva came into view, but they stood near the top of the ramp. One of Silva's arms was in an arm sling, while the other was wrapped in bandages.

"Silva!" Marcell said, as she looked at her former boss in surprise.

"Yes hello Marcell. Nice to see that your alive and well," Silva said, with a sheepish smile, considering that she knew Marcell would probably be angry with her since she threatened her sister.

"What are you doing here? What is she doing here?" Marcell asked in confusion.

"She saved our lives, and she's willing to help us," Misako replied.

"Yes. She helped us navigate out of the city without unwanted attention," Sensei Wu said.

"Hm... Fine then," Marcell said, although still wary of Silva.

"I see three other groups coming our way!" Dr. Julien said, as he just looked towards Ninjago city with his hand just above his eyes.

Everyone near the Bounty looked towards Ninjago city, and they saw three groups coming their way, two driving really fast.

"They ran into trouble," Sensei Reine speculated.

"How can you tell?" Dr. Julien asked her.

"Not all of them are using their Platinum vehicles," Sensei Reine replied.

The first group arrived next to the Bounty, as they quickly canceled their vehicles. Zane and Christa stood carrying Auria and Cole, as Auria was almost unconscious and Cole was already out cold. Many of the Vampires and Verpentine gasped in surprise, as well as everyone else, besides Terrin, Garmadon, Wu, and Silva, who's eyes widened in surprise.

"What happened?" Dr. Julien asked, as he stood in front of his son, although he was looking between him, Auria, Christa, and Cole.

"She risk her life to save us, and Cole overused his Full Potential," Zane replied, trying to remain calm so that he could clearly explain the situation.

"Oh my! They need medical attention at once," Dr. Julien said, as he gestured towards the Bounty.

Sensei Reine stood in front of Auria, with sadness in her eyes, and then she looked towards Cole with the same expression. Then Sensei Reine turned towards the Viporeon leaders who stood behind, and said in a more calm and commanding voice,

"Fajra. Vena. Prepare the rooms for patients and one for emergency surgery! Serpana. Take Cole and set him up on an IV with Wolf Tear's water. Anaca. Carrie. Come with me with Auria!"

The five Viporeons nodded, as they immediately went to work.

"But didn't Lloyd break the vial that Nya had?" Dr. Julien asked.

"I heard about that, but Flare brought extra Wolf Tear's water in her suitcase," Sensei Reine replied.

"Come guyssss. Help ussss set the roomsss," Vena said to the four generals of the Serpentine.

"Let'ssss get to work then," Skales said, and the three generals nodded, as they followed Vena and Fajra up into the Bounty.

"Come. Zane. Christa," Sensei Reine said, as she lead them up into the Bounty, with the two patients in their arms.

Sensei Wu looked at his students with worry, especially towards Zane and Cole, as they passed him.

"Don't worry brother. They're in capable hands," Sensei Garmadon said, and Sensei Wu nodded slowly.

"There's Flare and Jay! They made it!" Misako called out, since she was on the Bounty's deck with Silva, as they looked out.

"Where's Kai and Nya?" Sensei Wu asked.

Then Flare pulled over with Jay's vehicle in tow, as their vehicles returned to weapons. Jay stood sitting on the ground with Nya in his arms, and Flare stood holding onto Kai so that he wouldn't fall.

"What happened?" Terrin asked, as he stood before the injured group.

"The lizarians surrounded us, and then a larger one came and tried to take us out," Flare said.

"Yeah, and Nya is really hurt, and Kai's arms are probably broken. I can't move my leg and my arm is out of control, but Flare was able to take out the lizarians with her shadows," Jay said quickly.

Terrin knelt down in front of Nya and Jay, as he placed each of his hands on their hands.

"You've both been bitten by something, correct?" Terrin asked.

"Yeah. Well I know that I was bitten by two of them, a green lizarian and a yellow one, but I'm not sure about Nya," Jay said, as he looked down at Nya.

Terrin looked near Nya's back leg, and when he moved her pant's leg up to her knee, a purple bite mark was present.

"-Gasp- She was bitten too!" Jay exclaimed.

"Your both poisoned. Your poison will eventually wear off, but not her's," Terrin said to Jay.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Jay asked.

"The poison injected in Nya is much more severe than your's. In other words, it's a deadly poison that will consume it's victim in about four hours," Terrin replied.

"WHAT?! CONSUMED! Sh-She will... She will..." Jay said in shock and fear of what Terrin was going to say.

"Yes, she will die," Terrin said.

Jay eyes widened, as his eyes began to water.

"N-No... Not N-Nya... N-Not my Nya..." Jay stuttered, as one tear streamed down his face.

"Ouch!" Jay yelled when his hand slapped him over the head.

"Marcell, can you help Jay and Nya inside the Bounty?" Terrin asked Marcell.

"Sure. Guys, help them inside!" Marcell said, pointing to Andrex, Stephen, and Bronze.

"We'll take care of them Marcell," Andrex said, as the four went towards Jay and Nya.

Bronze picked up Nya, while Andrex and Stephen lifted Jay by each side of him, as they carried them into the Bounty.

Before Terrin walked onto the Bounty's ramp, he sensed a familiar presence, which made him immediately turn towards Ninjago City. Another vehicle was heading their way, as it came to a stop next to the Bounty.

"That took a while," Lucy said, and then she reverted her vehicle back into a weapon as she, Lloyd, and Raven stood together on the ground.

"They made it," Marcell said, as the remaining Vampires cheered to see that princess Lucy was okay, as well as the Green ninja and Purple kunoichi.

"Son, your safe," Sensei Garmadon said, as he quickly walked over to his son.

"Dad," Lloyd said, as he gave his dad a hug.

"Lloyd!" Misako said, as she ran down the ramp to hug her son.

"Hey mom," Lloyd said, as he hugged his mother.

"You've all returned, and you've brought Raven back, well done," Sensei Wu said, as he walked over to them and nodded.

Then Terrin walked over and stood before Raven, as they both locked eyes with one another.

"Raven," Terrin said.

"Daddy," Raven said, as her eyes began to water.

Then Raven ran into her father's arms, as he held her in a tight hug.

"Your safe my little sssnakelet. Your safe," Terrin said, as he stroked Raven's hair.

"Oh papa, I'm so happy to be back with all of you again," Raven said, as some tears came down her cheeks.

Then Terrin looked up at Lloyd, and he nodded in approval, as Lloyd nodded back.

"Nice to see that you guys are alive and well," Silva said, as she was making her way down the ramp.

"Silva," Lloyd said in surprise, and Raven and Terrin broke their hug.

"Hello Lloyd, Lucy, and... Raven," Silva said, as she started walking towards Raven.

Then, when Silva stood in front of Raven, she placed her wrapped hand gently on her shoulder, with a guilty expression and said,

"I'm sorry, for everything. I shouldn't have helped Darkness cause this whole mess."

Raven saw Silva's sincerity, and she placed her hand gently on Silva's and said,

"Thank you for your apology Silva, and I do accept it."

Silva was confused and asked, "What? So quick? That doesn't make sense."

Then Raven said, "Well Lloyd told me that he was traveling with Ryan, and that Ryan said that you weren't always bad, and that you thought being bad was right thing to do, especially in your case. I understand."

Silva's eyes widened in surprise, but then she snickered and said, "He trusted you enough to tell you huh... Okay. Then I know I made the right choice to help you guys."

Raven smiled and nodded, as Silva took her hand back. Then Silva asked,

"Of course, I think you guys need my help more than ever. Where is my son anyway?"

Raven, Lloyd, and Lucy looked towards one another, and then they glanced towards Ninjago city sadly. Silva was able to get the hint, and she gasped.

"What... What is he doing?" Silva asked, worried.

"He helped us escape by distracting Darkness," Lloyd said, as he looked down sadly.

Silva placed her hand on her heart, as she looked down sadly. Then she breathed in and out slowly, as she gained her composure and said,

"I trust my son. If he was willing to do that to save all of you, then I won't let his decision be in vain."

Then they heard the rumbling of an engine, as a black aerocycle landed on the Bounty.

"Good, she's here," Terrin said, as he ran up the ramp.

Everyone else followed as well onto the Bounty's deck.

"Get this ship moving!" Marcell told the vampires, and they immediately ran into the Bounty to prepare it for travel.

"Alright. What the freak is going on here?!" Malentha said, as she jumped off her aerocycle.

Malentha wore a long-sleeved leather jacket, with an orange shirt inside, and black pants with multiple pockets all around them, and black shoes, as her orange hair was loose and free to her waist.

"Miss Malentha! What are you doing here?" Raven asked in surprise.

"Your mother called. She said you guys may need my help, like my kingdom," Malentha replied.

"What do mean?" Raven asked.

"Those black lizard things were approaching Volcanic Kingdom, and at the same time, Reine called me and said that she may need my help. I told her those lizards were approaching my kingdom, and Reine said that she would send an army of Serpentine and Viporeons to help. Although I was in a temporary stupor to hear that the Serpentine and Viporeons were working together, I agreed to come as long as if she sent her army. Arun also encouraged me to go ahead, and that Volcanic Kingdom was indeed his kingdom to protect. I conceded and left. That's why I'm here," Malentha replied pretty quickly.

"Come Malentha. Reine needs help with Auria, and you did help in Auria's first surgery," Terrin said, as he gestured for Malentha to follow him.

"Auria?" Raven asked in surprise, but her father didn't answer her since they had to hurry.

Malentha nodded, as she followed Terrin into the Bounty.

"What happened to Auria?" Raven asked.

"And where are the others?" Lloyd asked.

The Bounty began to lift up, as it turned away from Ninjago city, and started it's journey across the desert.

"You three just came. There's a lot to talk about. Come," Sensei Garmadon said, as he started walking towards the Bounty deck's upper floor to the dining room, and everyone else followed, including Lucy, Raven, and Lloyd.


	96. Chapter 96 Double Back

After explaining the conditions of the other ninja and kunoichi, Lucy, Lloyd, and Raven were very worried and surprised by what they heard.

"What?! How did all of that just happen?! Are they alright now?!" Lloyd asked, as he stood up from his seat.

"Lloyd, calm down. They're in good hands. Reine and Terrin immediately took action in helping them," Sensei Garmadon said.

"B-But _will _they be okay?" Raven asked, as Lloyd slowly sat back down.

"It is too early to tell, but I'm sure the ninja and kunoichi will pull through. They have to," Sensei Wu said, as he looked down.

"Isn't there something we can do?" Lucy asked.

"We can only wait and protect them until they heal," Misako said.

"At least you three are alright," Marcell said.

"Um, about that..." Lucy said, and trailed off while rubbing the back of her head.

"What is it?" Sensei Garmadon asked.

Lloyd and Raven looked down at the table sadly, and then Lucy replied,

"Um, as Lloyd and Raven told me... Darkness locked their powers."

A collective gasp filled the room.

"He locked your powers?" Silva asked, with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes," Raven replied to Silva.

"I was trying to protect Raven from an attack Darkness was using on her, but because I handled the attack to re-direct it, my powers were locked too," Lloyd explained, as he looked up.

"Then how are we suppose to fight the lizarians? Or even defeat Darkness? Lucy is the only elemental user on our side, and the ninja and kunoichi barely managed on their own," Silva asked.

There was silence in the room. Then Sensei Wu said,

"We can't give up yet. There must be a way to unlock your powers again."

"But how? There aren't any Platinum weapons that could unlock our powers," Lloyd said.

"And the Viporeon Pearl, I mean, the Purple Ninja's Orb hasn't shown any change since it gave me the other purple suit. I don't think it can unlock my powers," Raven said, as she looked up.

"There has to be a way," Misako said.

"We have to think of something. We don't know how long Ryan could put up a fight with Darkness, and we don't have time to waste," Sensei Garmadon said.

"Time..." Marcell said, as she looked outside, since the sliding door was wide open.

"What is it sis?" Lucy asked Marcell.

"Do you guys know how the First Purple and Green Ninja unlocked their powers?" Marcell asked, while still looking outside.

"No. We only know who the First Purple Ninja is but that's about it," Lloyd replied.

"Is? The First Purple Ninja is still alive?" Sensei Garmadon asked.

"... The First Purple Ninja... is Darkness," Raven replied, as she looked away with her eyes closed.

A more quieter gasp filled the room because most of them were too shocked to make a sound.

"Darkness is the First Purple Ninja?! How can that be?" Sensei Garmadon asked, although he knew that the others didn't know the answer either.

"Maybe we can find out what's his deal, and how he and the First Green Ninja unlocked their powers or whatever," Marcell said.

"What? But they were around like... a lot of years ago, and Darkness isn't going to tell us anytime soon. How are we suppose to find out?" Lucy asked.

"She's right. There are no other scrolls that mention them besides the ones that Silva had," Misako said.

"And I don't have any others," Silva added.

"We don't need any scrolls. Not with Time Sensei," Marcell said, as she turned back towards the others.

"Time Sensei?" Raven asked.

"Yes, Time Sensei. I worked with her awhile back. She was the one who created the Gem of Ages," Marcell replied.

A collective gasp of 'wow' filled the room.

"Y-You mean the lady with the white hair who gave me the gem... that was..." Raven trailed off.

"Yes. That was Time Sensei. She looks great for her age, but then again, I'm not even sure how old she is," Marcell said, as she put her hand to her chin to think.

"We can think about that later. What is it that Time Sensei can do that can help us?" Lloyd asked.

"Oh right. Well, Time Sensei, hence her title, has an affinity with time. When I last spoke to her, she possessed the Gem of Ages, and she was creating some sort of device that could show her events from the past, and even events that were happening in that moment in the present. She was also thinking about creating a future-seeing device, but she said that that one would be a problem... Anyway, I'm sure that Time Sensei would be able to show or even tell you how the First Purple and Green Ninja unlocked their powers, and maybe you two will be able to do it too," Marcell replied, as she put her hands on the table.

"Will that work?" Misako pondered out loud.

"It's our only other option at this point," Sensei Garmadon said.

"Marcell, do you know where Time Sensei is?" Sensei Wu asked.

"-Sign- Sadly, I haven't been in contact with Time Sensei since she gave the Gem of Ages to Raven. Of course, I didn't realize she gave the gem to her, but the reason she hired me to help her was because she needed me to protect her from Carlo," Marcell said.

"Carlo? Is that the guy that you helped protect the Ninja from and then decided to betray me?" Silva asked, and Marcell nodded and said,

"Yeah, and that's when you threatened me for my sister's sake."

"Oh... yeah," Silva said, as she looked down at the table and rubbed the back of her head.

"Now now ladies, let's be civilized," Misako said, as Marcell and Silva agreed with a nod.

"Why did Time Sensei need protection from Carlo?" Sensei Garmadon asked Marcell.

"Because Carlo wanted the Gem of Ages, and Time Sensei was gathering supplies for her time devices, which would have left her vulnerable if she alone was carrying those supplies and the gem," Marcell replied.

"But if you don't know where Time Sensei is, how is she supposed to help us?" Lloyd asked.

"Because I know the right fellow who would know where she is. After all, the only reason he would have came for Raven and the gem is if he found Time Sensei and realized that she didn't have it," Marcell said with a smirk.

The others' eyes widened, as they realized who Marcell was talking about.

"Then let's head straight to Pulverize Peak Town," Sensei Wu said, and the others nodded.


	97. Chapter 97 Journey to Pulverize Peak

During the journey to Pulverize Peak Town:

Jay shared a room with Kai, although there was a white curtain(sheet) that hung between them to serve as a divider, as they laid on the bunk bed that was cut in half to make two beds. Kai's arms were wrapped in casts after healing ointment was first applied to them. The healing ointment helped to numb most of the pain, although Kai still needed to rest so that his arms could heal quicker. Jay had to have his spazzing arm tied down to the bed so that it wouldn't reach his face, and occasionally, Andrex would tap Jay's leg to see if he could feel anything.

"Man, you still don't feel anything?" Andrex asked, after smacking Jay's leg with a stick that he found.

"No, but watching you whip my leg wasn't pleasant," Jay said, with a frown, as Andrex just smiled sheepishly.

"It's taking awhile for that venom to wear off," Stephen said, as he looked over at Jay from behind the white curtain, since he was watching over Kai.

"Venom... Nya! I need to see if she's okay!" Jay said, as he tried to move off of the bed.

However, Andrex held onto his shoulder and said, "Dude, you can't get up. Your tied to the bed first of all, and secondly your leg is still paralyzed."

"No! I have to see if she's okay!" Jay said, as he tried to move his paralyzed leg.

Jay's arm started moving more frantically, as he tried to move his paralyzed leg. Andrex tried to hold Jay's spazzing arm down, as he kept telling him to calm down. Stephen just signed, and then he turned back to Kai.

"Are you okay man? You haven't spoken much more than a few words," Stephen asked, as Kai was looking down at his two arms that were in two slings, sadly.

"... Stephen, can you check on Nya for me?" Kai asked, as he looked up at Stephen.

"Sure man. I'll be right back," Stephen said, as he started walking out of the room.

"Oh come on! _He_ can leave!" Jay said in frustration.

"You can't move bro!" Andrex said in irritation.

"UGH!" Jay said, as he laid back on his bed and looked up at the ceiling.

Andrex let go of Jay's arm and shoulder, as he stood back and leaned against the wall that was adjacent to the bed, and he too looked up at the ceiling. During that time, Jay and Andrex didn't noticed that someone else had left the room.

Stephen walked across the hallway, and he took a quick glance into the first room, which was where Cole was staying. Cole was laying on a bed in the center of the room, while an IV drip with Wolf Tear's water stood near the right side of the bed, with a small tube attached from it to his arm. Cole was unconscious on the bed, with a white blanket over half of his body, and Stephen noticed that other people were in the room. He saw Bronze leaning against the wall that was near the IV drip, guarding and regulating it, and on the other side of the bed was Christa, who was sitting close by Cole and stroking his head. Stephen was slowly walking by, and as he watched how Christa gently stroked Cole's head with sadness in her eyes and a quivering lip, his eyes started to water. He quickened his pace and rubbed his eyes, as Stephen continued on his way to Nya's room.

After Stephen walked by, another person came after him and stood next to Cole's room. He looked at Cole and he noticed that Christa was beside him. Kai looked at Cole and Christa in relief to see that they were still alive, and sadness since Cole was still unconscious and Christa had a few bruises on her arms and tear stains on her face. Kai looked at them for a moment longer, and then he continued on his way down the hall, trying to stay close by but far enough from Stephen so that he wouldn't notice him.

Stephen walked by another room that had a closed door with a sign that said, "Surgery in Progress."

He knew that the Cynoichi was the one who was in there, and he let out a sign since he wondered if she was doing okay. Then he continued down the hallway, and he saw some of the Serpentine standing outside of a particular room.

Kai walked near the closed door, as he placed his ear near it to see if he heard anything. He heard mumbling, and then he was able to hear whoever was in the room more clearly, as he recognized the voices:

"Swab. Serum. Pat Down. Ointment." -Sensei Reine

"Piece B." -Malentha

"Serum. Pat Down. Ointment." -Sensei Reine

"Piece C." -Malentha

"Serum. Pat Down. Ointment." -Sensei Reine

"Piece D." -Malentha

"Serum. Pat Down. Ointment." -Sensei Reine

"Close. Wrap." -Anaca

"Do you think she will pull through?" -Malentha

"Time will tell. We've done what we could. Now she needs to wake up on her own." Sensei Reine

"She's a strong girl. I'm sure she'll make it." -Malentha

"... I hope she does..." -Sensei Reine

"Aw come on Reine. Don't start tearing up now. She'll make it." -Malentha

"I know. -Sniffle- It's hard to see her like that." -Sensei Reine

"Yeah... I know that feeling." -Malentha

Kai moved his head away from the door, as he looked downward wistfully, and then he continued down the hallway. He quickly moved towards a room that was before Nya's room where the Serpentine were so that Stephen wouldn't see him. He stood near the doorway so that he could listen in onto how Nya was doing, although he didn't realize that two people were already in the room that he was in.

"Kai?"

Kai immediately turned around to see who was in the room, and he saw Lloyd and Raven along with the Platinum weapons on a table in front of them as they sat on a sofa.

"What the- What are you two doing in here?" Kai asked in more of a whisper.

"We were trying to see if there was a way to get our powers unlocked with the Platinum weapons," Raven replied.

"But it isn't working at all. My dad just stepped out because Terrin needed to ask him something," Lloyd added.

"What are _you_ doing here Kai?" Raven asked.

Kai signed and said, "I couldn't wait any longer to see how everyone else was doing. I needed to know what's going on."

"But your supposed to be resting. You could hurt yourself or delay your own recovery," Lloyd said.

"I know, but I had to take the chance... I already saw Cole, and Christa... and I heard that Auria's surgery was just finished," Kai said, as he looked away from Lloyd and Raven, and they looked down.

"I should have seen this coming. That dream I had warned me that you guys would be surrounded by darkness but... I thought because you guys had your Full Potentials and that we trained together... I messed up," Lloyd said, as he placed his hand on his head.

"Lloyd, don't blame yourself like this. No one would have thought that this was ever going to happen," Raven said, as she gently placed her hand on his shoulder, and the other on his hand.

"She's right. The only one to blame for this is Darkness," Kai said.

Lloyd looked up and breathed out. Then he said,

"Your right. Both of you. Darkness is the one who's at fault. He has to be stopped."

Raven nodded, as did Kai. Then Kai heard talking from the other room, as he brought his head closer to the door to listen. Raven and Lloyd stood silent as well.

"Her condition isn't very good. The poison is fast acting to weaken the body, but slow in it's termination of the person so that they could suffer. Darkness really wanted to make sure whoever was bit would perish slowly. That freaking... Anyway, I believe I found the solution to this deadly venom... my own," King Terrin said from the other room.

"Your own venom?" Sensei Garmadon questioned from within the same room.

"Yes. You see, I am immune to every other venom that exist as well as Raven since she is my daughter. There are a few occasions were I gave my wife some of my venom and she temporary became immune. I'm sure that if I give Nya some of my venom, it will be able to fight off and protect her from the deadly poison, and even save her life," Terrin replied.

"That would work perfectly, but are you sure it would work now? It's not too late?" Garmadon asked.

"As long as if she's alive it's not," Terrin replied, and added, "But I need your help to extract my venom and quickly put it into the IV. Will you help me?"

"Yes, I'll help. Let's get right to work," Garmadon said.

Kai stepped away from the door and signed in relief.

"Thank goodness. Terrin found a way to save her," Kai said, and Raven and Lloyd also signed in relief.

Then Kai asked them, "Hey, have you two seen Flare? I haven't seen her since she brought me to my room."

Lloyd and Raven looked towards one another, and then they looked back at Kai with uncertainty.

"What is it? Did something happen to her?" Kai asked in concern.

"She's... um... she needed time to be alone," Raven answered.

"Where is she?" Kai asked.

"Well, Kai... -Sign- She's on deck," Raven replied.

"Thanks Raven. I'll head there next," Kai said, as he looked outside and saw that Stephen hadn't stepped out of Nya's room yet, and the Serpentine weren't looking towards him.

"Be careful Kai. Flare is a little... emotional now," Raven warned, as Kai nodded and then he quickly and quietly exited the room.

"I hope he'll be okay. He shouldn't be walking around like that," Raven said to Lloyd.

"Eh, he'll be alright. Besides, Kai is way too stubborn to stay still anyway," Lloyd assured Raven, and she nodded.

Outside on Deck:

Flare stood on the lower deck near the stern of the ship. She was looking ahead of where the Bounty was heading to under a starry night sky. Her hair was blowing softly in the wind, as a few tears were also blowing away from her face in the wind. She was able to sense how the others were doing within the Bounty, and she could sense that Auria, Nya, and Cole were in bad conditions, Jay and Kai were stable although they were still worn out from their wounds, and Christa was bruised and fatigued although she was slowly getting better. Flare couldn't help but tear up from also sensing the distress and sadness from her Sensei, as well as from the others.

As she wiped away some of her tears and returned to sensing beyond the Bounty, just in case if they were being followed, she didn't notice that Kai stepped on deck and that he was walking towards her.

"Flare," Kai called out to her softly, as Flare quickly turned towards him.

"Kai," Flare said softly, as he stood before her.

"What are you doing up here Kai? You should be resting," Flare asked.

"I wanted to know how everyone was doing, and I wanted to see you too," Kai replied.

"Why me? The others are the ones you should worry about more," Flare asked, more sternly.

"I am worried about them, but I care about you too you know. I love you," Kai replied.

Flare looked away from Kai and closed her eyes, but she couldn't hold back the feeling that was slicing through her heart. She quickly looked up at him and said,

"But if I would have acted earlier, you guys wouldn't have gotten hurt so bad! It's my fault! My mind wasn't focused! I should have worried about you guys first! If I did, then you, Jay, and Nya wouldn't be as messed up as you are now! Then maybe we could have went to help the others and Cole and Auria wouldn't be as messed up either!"

Kai was surprised by how guilty Flare felt for everyone's conditions. Flare clutched her head with her hand and continued,

"How could I have let this happen?! You guys needed me and I let you get hurt so badly before I snapped out of it! I should be in that hospital bed! I would prefer to have died than to let ANY of you have to suffer like you are now-"

Flare immediately stopped talking and looked straight at Kai, who stood right in front of her with his left hand placed firmly on the side of her face. She saw empathy, surprise, and determination in his eyes. Then Kai said,

"Flare. Don't think like that. You did enough to stop those Lizarians from killing us, and getting us out of Ninjago City alive. You shouldn't dwell on what you _could_ have done. First off, you can't undo what has already happened, and secondly, who knows what _would_ have happened. We could have been worse off than we are now. Especially if I lost you..."

Flare's eyes widened when she saw tears rolling down Kai's cheeks. As Kai continued to speak, more tears were rolling down his cheeks but his expression stood strong;

"For us to be safe and for you to die... I don't know if I would have stood another moment breathing without you. I don't know if I would have died in that moment from my heart breaking in half knowing that you were gone forever. We don't know what is going to happen next, and even when things have already happened, we have to eventually pick ourselves up and try to keep moving forward for the sake of the ones who _are_ alive and for those who aren't. I care about every one of our friends; the guys, the kunoichi, our teachers, our allies, and especially Nya and you. Your all family to me, and your the only ones me and Nya have."

Kai pressed his forehead against Flare's forehead, and he continued,

"So don't ever say that you prefer to die! You still saved us. Auria's surgery was finished and soon she may wake up, Cole is getting treatment and Christa is with him, Zane is getting patched up by his father, Nya is getting King Terrin's venom so that she won't die, Jay is still talking and he's going to be okay soon, Raven and Lloyd are back with us, our Senseis are alive, and I'm actually moving my arm! We're all still alive! We're all still here. So don't ever feel like you failed. Look at the bright side of this situation. It's better than it could have been."

Kai smiled as tears continued to fall down his cheeks, which made Flare smile as well with tears falling down her cheeks too.

"Kai. Your right. Your so right... Who would have thought a stubborn, hot-headed guy like you would have helped me like this," Flare said.

"And who would have thought that a tough, fiery lady like you would need my help like this," Kai said.

Both of them chuckled, and then they took a moment to stare into each others' eyes lovingly. Then Flare pulled back as she sensed a familiar presence that was watching them.

"Kai... oh man," Flare said, as she looked passed his shoulder and saw someone standing a couple of feet away with their hands on their hips.

Kai turned around, and then his eyes widened when he saw Queen Malentha looking at them with half-closed eyelids and a raised eyebrow.

"Uh! Q-Queen Malentha-" Kai said, but was cut off by the queen herself.

"Don't bother to explain fire boy. I heard enough," Malentha said, as she was slowly walking towards them with clenched fists and the same expression.

Kai looked at Flare with wide eyes, as she just shrugged and smiled sheepishly.

"So you love my daughter huh?!" Malentha asked, as she looked at Kai with furrowed eyebrows and clenched teeth.

Kai cringed back from Malentha and replied, "Y-Yes I do. I love Flare."

Malentha snorted, and then she turned towards Flare and asked, "Flare, Do you love this fool?!"

Flare looked at her mother and nodded.

"I do ma," Flare replied with sincerity.

Malentha crossed her arms and closed her eyes as she thought about it. Then she turned towards Kai and looked as though she was going to karate chop his shoulder. Kai stiffened and covered his face as Flare's eyes widened at the sudden movement. Then Kai looked at Malentha in shock when he realized that she had only placed her hand on his shoulder, as he lowered his arm. Malentha smiled and said,

"Well isn't this nice. My daughter has found a guy she loves and who loves her too. I probably would have back-smacked you before, but seeing how beautifully you were helping my child from her dilemma, well, I have second thoughts about it. You are a pretty fine man so far, former vampire boy."

Kai laughed a little and rubbed the back of his head, as Flare breathed out in relief that her mother didn't strangle him.

"But my eyes will be watching you like a hawk dear fire boy," Malentha said, as she took her hand off Kai's shoulder and started walking back towards the entrance into the Bounty.

Then Malentha stood just in front of the entrance, turned around towards Kai and Flare, and added,

"LIKE A HAWK!"

Flare and Kai gulped as they nodded towards Malentha, and then she turned and entered the Bounty.

"-Sign in Relief- Well, that went better than I thought it would have been," Kai said.

"Yeah. I really thought she was going to karate-chop you for that moment," Flare said, as she and Kai snickered at the thought.

"You sneaky NINJA DUDE! You think you can just SNEAK AWAY and I WON'T FIND YOU!" A voice called from above, as Flare and Kai looked up to see Stephen swinging towards them on a rope.

"Oh MAN!" Kai yelled out, as he started running towards the Bounty entrance as Stephen landed on the floor.

"You won't get away so easy MAN!" Stephen yelled out, as he started chasing after Kai.

Flare just shook her head, and then she started laughing as she followed the guys into the Bounty.

_'There is a bright side to things huh...'_ Flare thought.


	98. Chapter 98 Heel-Face Turn?

_Later in the Night at Pulverize Peak Town- In the Jail Cell of Carlo:_

"I will NOT help you people with ANYTHING! You come here asking for help after locking me in this prison! What NERVE! What AUDACITY!" Carlo yelled out from his jail cell, as he stood sitting on a wooden bench that was held up by chains on the wall that was opposite of the bars, with his arms crossed.

"Carlo, stop being a child right now man! The fate of the world is in the balance for Pete's sake," Marcell said, as she stood in front of Carlo's jail cell.

Lloyd, Raven, Sensei Garmadon, Sensei Wu, and Flare were in the room with Marcell, as they let her try to reason with Carlo.

"I don't care about the fate of the world or WHATEVER! I am in prison! PRISON! You already caught me and threw me in here, what more do you want from me?! LEECHES I SAY! LEECHES!" Carlo yelled out, as he kept his arms crossed and turned his head away from Marcell while he pouted.

"You are acting so immature right now Carlo!" Marcell said in frustration, as she placed her hand on her forehead.

"I can act as I wish! It doesn't make a difference to me now that I'm in here!" Carlo yelled again, as he returned to looking away and pouting.

Before Marcell could yell at him again, Sensei Wu decided to intervene and said, to Carlo,

"We are sorry that you are in the predicament that you are in Carlo. But maybe we can talk to the head of police here so that your sentence will be lenient. But we need your help. Can you please tell us where Time Sensei is?"

Carlo took a moment to think about it, but then he looked towards Sensei Wu with an annoyed expression and replied,

"I'm not going to help you people. Look for Time Sensei ON YOUR OWN!"

Carlo turned his back to the others, with his legs crossed, on the bench.

"Carlo-" Marcell was going to argue again, but Sensei Garmadon stood in front of her, and blocked her from Carlo.

"Enough Marcell. He doesn't want to talk, and we can't force him," Sensei Garmadon said, and Marcell signed.

"Fine Carlo. If you don't want to talk, than don't. But if Darkness takes over the world, I'll be the one blaming YOU for it," Marcell said, as she turned and walked away.

"Carlo, are you really not going to help us?" Sensei Garmadon asked, but Carlo gave no reply.

"Come everyone. We've been here long enough. We can't waste anymore time," Sensei Wu said, as he also exited the room, along with Sensei Garmadon, Flare, and Raven.

"Are you coming?" Raven asked Lloyd, and he replied,

"In a minute."

Raven nodded, and then she exited the room. Lloyd looked back at Carlo, and he saw that his back was still turned towards him. He walked up to Carlo's cell, as he placed one hand on the bar and signed softly.

"Carlo, it's me Lloyd," Lloyd said, and Carlo only slightly turned his head, but he didn't look at him.

"Just hear me out, please," Lloyd said, as Carlo stood silent, which Lloyd took as an 'okay.'

Then Lloyd spoke, "Carlo, I know we're not on good terms, especially since you kidnapped Raven and Marcell, and then we threw you in jail. But can you blame us for throwing you in prison after you kidnapped Marcell and R... my girlfriend."

Carlo turned his head more towards Lloyd when he heard him refer to Raven as 'girlfriend.' Then Lloyd continued,

"Look, I know how it is to be in prison. I was a prisoner of the Serpentine once before, and I can say that it wasn't very pleasant, but I knew that I deserved it by making the mistake of releasing them in the first place."

Carlo turned his head a little more towards Lloyd, as he kept a stoic expression on his face while occasionally looking down and then back up.

"You being in prison now is your own fault Carlo, and I'm sorry that I had to point that out now. But, there are other people who don't deserve to be in prison. They are the ones who haven't done anything wrong worth being incarcerated, but with Darkness trying to take over, they may pay the price for _his_ crimes," Lloyd said, and Carlo breathed in and out, as he looked towards the ground.

After a moment of silence, Carlo turned away from Lloyd's direction. Lloyd signed, and then he said,

"Please Carlo. I can't let Darkness win against us. I don't want to be separated from Raven again... forever. I don't want people to suffer anymore. My whole team is almost broken, and some of them may not survive... Raven and I need our powers back so that we can fight and stop him from hurting anyone else. If we can't get our powers back... then I'll fight Darkness alone. Even if I won't survive, at least everyone else can escape."

After another moment of silence, Lloyd turned away from Carlo's cell with his eyes downcast, and said,

"Goodbye Carlo."

Right before Lloyd made it to the exit door, Carlo called out,

"Lloyd."

Lloyd turned around, as he saw Carlo standing up in his cell and walking towards the bars as he was writing something on a piece of paper. As Lloyd stood a foot away from the cell, Carlo reached out his hand with the paper and said,

"The coordinates to Time Sensei's keep are on this. Just dial them into a GPS or a digital map or whatever you guys have. She's not too far from here."

Lloyd took the paper and read the coordinates, he also saw a small map with an 'X' on one part of it.

"Just in case if you didn't have the digital map, I marked it in a rough drawing," Carlo said, as he held onto the bars.

Lloyd looked up at Carlo in surprise, but then he smiled gratefully and said,

"Thank you Carlo. But... what changed your mind?"

Carlo signed and replied, "Because I'm not that bad of a guy that I would want innocent people to suffer... and... I used to have a girl who I loved, like how you have Raven. We were married and lived splendidly... until I lost her... I wouldn't want that to befall you, young ninja... Go and find Time Sensei. Tell her that I'm sorry for chasing her around like a mad man."

Lloyd nodded and said, "I'll let her know. Thanks again."

Carlo saluted Lloyd and said, "Sure thing man. Go save the World."

Lloyd saluted back, and then he quickly exited the room. Carlo returned to his bench, as he sat down and twirled the pen he had in his hand.

_'And he never wondered how I got the pen and paper,_' Carlo thought as he snickered to that thought.

After Lloyd showed the others the map and coordinates, they went in the Bounty as they set the coordinates in the computer. Then the Bounty set sail into the sky, as they headed towards Time Sensei's keep.

_In the Bounty:_

"Carrie?" Serpana called to her 'sister' general, as she entered a room in the Bounty that was set up for the Viporeon Generals to relax in.

Carrie was sitting in front of a desk with a laptop set before her as she was continuously typing.

"Yesss, Serpana. What isss it that you need?" Carrie asked Serpana.

Serpana entered the room, as Vena also entered the room since she was following her.

"We need to check on the Ninja and SSSamurai. What are you doing?" Serpana asked Carrie.

"I am sssending a messssage to Tempura. I am letting her know what happened to the Ninja and SSSamurai," Carrie said, as she continued typing.

"You are sssending a messssage to Tempura? How?" Vena asked.

"By sssending a messssage to Violet. She hasss a laptop that can receive messssages. Alssso, I believe Violet and the Brown Ninja should know what'sss going on," Carrie replied.

"Good idea Carrie," Serpana said.

"But I _do _need to tell Tempara sssomething elssse," Carrie said, as she sent the message through email.

"What issss it?" Vena asked.

"It'sss not sssomething to truly worry about," Carrie said, as she stood up and closed her laptop.

_In Volcanic Kingdom:_

"Dareth," Violet called, as she and Tempura were reading the email that Carrie sent.

"Yes my dear?" Dareth said, as he leaned on the edge-railing that the laptop that Tempura and Violet were reading was set on.

Violet, Tempara, and Dareth were on the roof of the castle of Volcanic kingdom, that was surrounded by a stone edge-railing to prevent anyone from falling off. King Arun was also on the roof, as he looked out towards the far forest around his kingdom to see a large army of lizarians waiting to attack. The moon was high in the sky above the kingdom, as King Arun examined the lizarians carefully so that he would be ready to battle with them. The Verpentine army stood in front of the Volcanic castle, ready for when the lizarians decided to attack.

Violet turned the laptop screen towards Dareth, as she put her hand on the back of his neck so that he could look at the screen. Dareth gasped after he read the message, and then Violet released the back of his neck.

"My friends are in trouble... I need to head back to them. I need to help my fellow Ninja," Dareth said.

"But what about the Volcanic Kingdom? They need to be protected from the lizariansss," Tempara asked, and Dareth rubbed the back of neck and said,

"Oh yeah..."

"Don't worry about my kingdom. I'll lead the Serpentine and Viporeons to fight off these monsters," King Arun said, without looking towards them, as his cape blew in the wind which made him look fierce and awesome.

"Are you sure your majesty?" Violet asked, as she closed her laptop and held it to her side.

"I am very sure. You three go ahead and help the Ninja... as well as my daughter and my wife," King Arun said, as he jumped up on the edge-railing, although he still wasn't looking towards them.

"We will, King Arun," Violet said, as she took a bow, as well as Dareth and Tempara.

"Then let's head out!" Dareth said, as he, Violet, and Tempara headed towards the aerocycle that was parked on the opposite side of the roof.

"Uh, how are all of us going to fit on that?" Dareth asked.

"There's an extra compartment that you can open in the back of the aerocycle that can be extended to create an extra seat," King Arun said, hearing their conversation.

Dareth, Violet, and Tempara were able to open the compartment from the back and create the extra seat.

"How did you know that King Arun?" Dareth asked the king.

"I've visited Aeroplane many times before, and with Malentha and Flare I needed the extra room on the aerocycle," King Arun said, as he held up his hand and sword formed before him, made of shadows.

Dareth, Violet, and Tempara gasped when they saw that, and King Arun turned towards them and smiled and said,

"You guys should hurry on to the Ninja."

Violet, Dareth, and Tempara shook their head and nodded, and then they jumped up on the aerocycle. Violet stood in the front, Dareth stood behind her, and Tempara stood in the back, which the back compartment was more like a cart where the person(or Viporeon in this case) would stand instead of sit.

"Let's Roll!" Dareth said, and then Violet drove off.

"Be safe heroes," King Arun said, and then he turned towards where the lizarians were.

He noticed that the lizarians were getting more aggressive since they were howling and screeching at the Verpentine that were ahead.

'_They're getting ready to strike... Foolish little creatures... They have no idea who they're dealing with...'_ King Arun thought, as he smirked and stood his ground with his shadow sword.

**Sorry for taking awhile in posting this. I usually post this quick, but I had a lot of stuff to do recently. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. ;)**


	99. Chapter 99 Time Sensei

_Back to the Bounty- Halfway up a cold mountain:_

"It's cold up here," Raven said, as she was rubbing her arms with her hands while she, Lloyd, and Marcell were walking up the mountain trail.

"The higher the altitude, the colder it's going to get," Marcell said, as she was walking ahead of the two Ninja.

Marcell, Raven, and Lloyd were traveling up the mountain on their own, since the others needed to stay behind to watch over the other Ninja and the Bounty. They continued their quest up to the mountaintop to see if they could find Time Sensei.

_On the Bounty's deck:_

Queen Malentha and Sensei Reine stood looking after the three when they started traveling up the mountain.

"Hey Reine. I just thought..." Malentha said, as she continued to watch the others disappear up the mountain.

Reine turned towards Malentha and replied, "What is it?"

"Isn't Time Sensei _your_ actual sensei?" Malentha asked, as she turned towards Reine.

"Yes, she is," Reine said.

"Then why aren't you going with them to see your sensei? I'm sure she would be very happy to see you," Malentha asked.

"Well, I would love to see my sensei again, but with the conditions that the Ninja are in, I wouldn't want to leave them now," Reine replied.

"I could watch over them for you," Malentha offered.

"I wouldn't want to trouble you," Reine said.

Malentha raised an eyebrow with half-closed eye lids, as Reine rubbed the back of her head and smiled sheepishly.

_Near the top of the mountain:_

"What the?" -Lloyd

"That's cool." -Raven

"And it's not just the weather." -Marcell

Lloyd, Raven, and Marcell had finally made it to the end of the mountain trail when they noticed that the trail led onto the top portion of the mountain, and that there were two large doors about two stories high as the entrance. The mountain ground was white with a layer of snow, and the doors were made of pure marble with two square carvings within the door frame that curved on the top tips. The door knobs were round and made of brass, and the there was a small, round blue button just above the right door knob.

Marcell, Lloyd, and Raven stood before the doors, and after looking towards one another and nodding, Lloyd pressed the blue button. A door bell chime was heard of 'The Weekend Whip,' as the three looked towards one another with one eyebrow raised.

"Just a minute peoples! I'm coming!" A woman's voice said from behind and further away from the double doors.

"Th-That voice," Lloyd whispered, as he remembered hearing that same voice from his dream, the one who was telling him something about the sunrise.

"Are you okay Lloyd?" Raven asked, when she heard him mumble something.

"Uh, it's nothing," Lloyd said with a smile, although Raven could see in his eyes that it wasn't just nothing.

"... Well, if there _is_ something wrong, you'll let me know right?" Raven asked.

"I will Raven, don't worry," Lloyd said as he nodded, and Raven nodded back.

"I'm comiiiinng!" The woman's voice said from behind the doors as it drew closer.

"Don't leave us out here all day Time Sensei!" Marcell called out with a small smile.

Then rapid footsteps were heard that led to the doors, and after they came to a stop, the door clicked and opened. Before the three stood an older woman with calm, enthusiastic eyes, and a big smile on her face. She wore gray lipstick with blue eye shadow. Her hair was light gray, and it reached just passed her waist with a rubber band that held it together near the bottom, while the hair near the sides of her face was loose and free. She wore a hat like Sensei Wu's, but most of it was white while, as it neared the top, it turned light blue. She wore a white shirt and white pants underneath a gray robe that she wore on top, and a gray rope that tied around the waist. The rope had white fur rolled up on the edges of it, and she carried a small dagger in a light blue sheath on the side of the rope. She had some wrinkles on each of the outer sides of her eyes, and one near the left side of her lip.

"Hello my dear friend! It's been so long since I've seen you! And you as well Raven," Time Sensei said, as she stepped forward from behind the door, gesturing towards Marcell and Raven.

"It has been long Time Sensei. Too long," Marcell said with a smile, as she and Time Sensei bumped fist twice up and down and once forward.

"I-It's really you again. Time Sensei," Raven said, as she shook hands with Time Sensei.

"It's a pleasure to see you both alive and well. Oh, and don't worry about the Gem of Ages Raven. I think it's better that it's been destroyed now," Time Sensei said, as Raven gasped and asked,

"How did you know?"

Time Sensei chuckled and said, "I know a lot of things my raven-haired friend."

Then Time Sensei turned towards Lloyd, and her eyes widened as she grinned and said,

"The Golden Spinjitzu Master has finally come! It's a pleasure to finally meet you Lloyd."

"Huh? You know my name?" Lloyd asked, and Time Sensei snickered and said,

"I know many things my dear good fellow. But why are we out freezing our heads off? Follow me my good people, and let's talk more inside."

Time Sensei turned around and headed through the doors, and Lloyd, Raven, and Marcell followed her inside.

The way through Time Sensei's home was a little tricky, but manageable. The first place they entered was a small platform with railing all around it, besides one side which was where the stairs began. The inside of the walls was made of the mountain, but from the low temperatures it had a bluish hue to the rocky walls. The floor was made of some kind of metal that reflected the walls, which made them have a light bluish hue to them, as well as the railing. The staircase actually spiraled downward on the cave wall, with a railing on one side of it so that you wouldn't fall off. The lower they traveled down the staircase, the larger the spiral became. Then, when they finally touched ground, they were in a very large room, with the same bluish cave walls and light-bluish metal floors.

However, there was more technology in this room: On the opposite side of where the stairs touched the ground was the largest computer screen that any of them have seen, along with a desktop that held numerous buttons, levelers, switches, and other controls that were each glowing their own color and would occasionally beep. On the left side of the stairs was a doorway, without a door, that led to another room that had mechanisms and machine parts inside used as storage and for spare parts. Opposite to that room, was another room that actual had a steal door and it was locked. On the right side of the large computer screen was another door, but it was a steal door painted white, and it was also closed.

Time Sensei, Marcell, Lloyd, and Raven were able to make it to ground level, as Time Sensei explained a few things about her home.

"Here's the main control panel for whatever I use it for, like watching who is climbing the mountain, and for a defense mechanism if someone tries to break in. Also, I can order food from on here and have it transported from the bottom of the mountain up to here. How cool is that! There are so many more things, but I don't want to bore you with the details, hahaha," Time Sensei said, as she stood in front of the computer system and leaned on it as she spoke to the others.

"Over in that 'no door' room is where I keep extra supplies and stuff like a storage room. The white door near the computer system is my own room. It's off limits since it's a bit messy from papers and blueprints that I have," Time Sensei said, as she smiled and waved her hand towards each place she mentioned.

"What about that room?" Raven asked, as she pointed to the room with the steal door.

"Well that's the Experimental room that connects to the Time room. It's quite fascinating really. I can show you if you'd like, but I'm sure there's something you would want to ask me first," Time Sensei said, and she tilted her head to the side as she clasped her hands together and set them just above her belt.

"Oh yes we do! We need your help to figure out how the First Green Ninja and First Purple Ninja unlocked their powers. Can you help us?" Raven asked.

"How the first two unlocked their powers? For what reason?" Time Sensei asked.

"You see, Time Sensei, our enemy Darkness locked our powers and we don't know or have anything to unlock them with... and since Darkness is the First Purple Ninja we know for a fact that he isn't going to help us, and that we don't have time to waste. We have to unlock our powers again soon because if he comes for us now, we'll be powerless against him. Please Time Sensei. Is there anything you can do or have that can help us learn how Darkness and the First Green Ninja unlocked their powers?" Lloyd asked.

Time Sensei bit her lip and looked away from them to think about it. Then she turned towards them and smiled brightly, as she said,

"Of course I will help you guys. But for you to know how the first two acquired their powers, you must see the reason as to why. For you two to truly understand the First Green and First Purple Ninja, you must know all that had happened in the past up to the time when Darkness was sealed."

"But Time Sensei, we might not have the time to learn all of that," Marcell said.

"Oh don't worry, there's plenty of time to explain everything. But since long conversations aren't very fun, I'll just show you what happened with my completed Time-Seeing device. I call it... the Time-Seeker. Probably not the most unique and witty name, but who cares about that! The device itself is more important," Time Sensei said, as she started making her way to the steal door.

"You really finished it?" Marcell asked.

"Yes. Although Marcell... I think it's best if Lloyd and Raven alone use the Time-Seeker and learn of their predecessors past. There are some things I need to talk to you about. Okay?" Time Sensei said, as she held her hand on the knob of the steal door and looked towards Marcell.

"Eh, alright Sensei," Marcell said, as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay great, let's get inside and I'll get you two set up," Time Sensei said, as she opened the door.

The inside of the first room was large and rectangular, with two long solid tables that went across the room like a road from the door, and on the right side of the tables was a large open space. On the ceiling was various robotic arms, and some with tools as the hands that almost covered the whole ceiling, and there were vials and bottles with various colored liquids set on the tables. There was also large cabinets on the left side of the wall that held tools like telescopes and hot plates for experiments and observations.

After being impressed with the numerous amount of tools and equipment, Marcell, Lloyd, and Raven followed Time Sensei to the right side of the room, where a lone steal door with a titanium door knob and lock stood in the center of the wall.

"Now to get to the Time room. Hold onto your heads dea~ars," Time Sensei said, as she waved her hand over the lock, which mysteriously unlocked the door.

Then Time Sensei pulled the door open and gestured for the others to follow.

When they entered the room, Raven, Lloyd, and Marcell looked on in awe and fascination. All around the Time room, even the ground, was all black with colorful dots like stars littered across it. It wasn't clear how large the room was, but it was very big indeed, and around the center of the room was three large spheres. These spheres stood in a triangular format with each standing on one corner of a titanium triangle rail that connected on the ground below the floating spheres. Each sphere was twice the height of a person, and they glowed from an inner light that radiated a shield around it in a sphere shape, and a glowing essence would continuously flow out from them like a mist. The inner lights in each sphere was white, while each sphere was it's own color: one was blue, the other was green, and the last one was purple. The sphere and essence of the spheres were continuously spiraling around the inner lights.

"What are those?" Raven asked, as she pointed to the spheres.

Time Sensei closed the door behind them, which made the star lights around the room glow brighter to illuminate the room just enough.

"Those are part of the Time-Seeker. Well, they _are _the Time-Seeker," Time Sensei replied, as she started walking towards the blue sphere.

"_That's_ the Time-Seeker?" Marcell asked, and Time Sensei turned around and nodded.

"Yes, it is. Now, Lloyd. Raven. Come forth!" Time Sensei said, as she stood in front of the blue sphere with her back towards it and her hands behind her back.

Raven and Lloyd looked towards one another, and then they moved ahead, as they stood before Time Sensei.

"Now, young Ninja, you are going to learn the history of the First Green and First Purple Ninja. This Blue Sphere-Light behind me will unveil the past of that time. That's actually it's function; to replay past events that have occurred to the viewer. I will set the Sphere-Light so that it will show you the right past time, and then all you'll have to do is place your hands on the inner light. Don't worry about the outer shell, it's more intangible than it looks," Time Sensei said with a reassuring smile.

"Are you sure it's safe for us to do this?" Lloyd asked.

Time Sensei waved her hand in front of her and said,

"Don't worry Golden Ninja boy. You'll both be fine, darlings. Just be wary that, what you may see, may NOT be pleasant."

Lloyd and Raven nodded, and then Time Sensei turned towards the sphere, as she pulled forth one of the necklaces that were hidden under her shirt with a lone blue stone on it. She tapped just the outside of the Sphere-Light and a keyboard and screen appeared before her, made of the essence of the sphere. Time Sensei typed some times, and then she tapped the screen with the blue stone, as the keyboard and screen retreated into the sphere and was absorbed by the inner light.

"Okay loves. The coordinates of times are set. Go ahead and put your hands on the inner light, and don't worry, we'll watch over you two, right Marcell?" Time Sensei said.

"Sure thing Time Sensei," Marcell replied, as her right hand stood on her hip.

"Okay. Go ahead dearies," Time Sensei said, as she moved out of the way next to Marcell.

Lloyd and Raven walked closer to the sphere, and then they stood a few inches from it.

"D-Do you think we'll be okay?" Raven asked Lloyd.

"Yeah. I'm sure. What's the matter? Are you nervous?" Lloyd replied and asked.

"Well, it's just... Darkness is the First Purple Ninja, and I'm kind of nervous to see how he became the way he is now," Raven said, as she looked downward.

Lloyd looked downward as he took a moment to think about it. Considering how much trouble and hardship Darkness has put him and all of the Ninja through, Lloyd still held some doubt that someone as dark as him could have once been a defender of the world. Lloyd shook off those thoughts, considering that the truth was going to be revealed now, and he said to Raven,

"We need to do what we must. I know your nervous, but don't be afraid. I'll be with you Raven."

Lloyd extended his hand towards Raven, and then she smiled and took his hand into her own.

"Let's do this," Lloyd said.

"Right," Raven said.

Then the Second Green and Second Purple Ninja walked just passed the outer shell, as they reached out and touched the inner light. In a flash from the inner light, Lloyd and Raven closed their eyes, as their minds were sent to another time. They stood where they were standing with their hands still on the spheres, as the outer shell that contained both of them became more opaque.

"What will they actually see in there?" Marcell asked Time Sensei.

"They will see what they need to. The past of the First Green and First Purple ninja was not clearly written in any scroll, and I know that their past is a key factor for these two and the future that may await," Time Sensei replied.

"If this Sphere-Light shows the past, then can I assume the other two show the present and future?" Marcell asked.

"You are correct my friend. The blue Sphere-Light is the past, the green is the present, and the purple is the future. Although, the future isn't set in stone, so it occasionally has multiple outcomes," Time Sensei said.

"Can I look?" Marcell asked in curiosity.

"-Chuckle- Sorry Marcell. Somethings are best left not known until later," Time Sensei replied.

"Aw," Marcell said, as she pouted, and Time Sensei just smiled.

"Now Marcell, I believe we have some catching up to do. How's Lucy and your people?" Time Sensei asked.

"Well Time Sensei, let's take a seat," Marcell said, as she rubbed the back of her head.

**History is about to be revealed. Are you ready?**


	100. Chapter 100 Past Time

**Oh my gosh! Chapter 100! This is amazing! I didn't think I would make it this far in this story. Thank you readers for being interested in this story, and especially to those who left reviews! The support of those reviews helped to keep me going. Thank you! Enjoy this pretty long chapter. ;)**

_Within the Blue Sphere-Light:_

After the flash, Lloyd saw nothing but darkness all around him. He looked around to see if there was any light, but there wasn't. However, Lloyd felt that his hand was holding onto someone else's hand.

_'Raven,'_ Lloyd thought.

'_Lloyd,' _Raven thought, when she heard Lloyd's voice.

_'What... Raven, you can hear me?_' Lloyd asked in his mind.

'_Yes I can, and you can hear my thoughts too,_' Raven replied.

'_How is this possible?'_ Lloyd asked.

'_I'm not sure, but I don't think we can actually talk,'_ Raven replied.

_'What?'_ Lloyd asked, as he turned towards Raven.

He gasped in his mind when he saw that Raven was only a purple outline of herself and her eyes. Raven looked towards Lloyd when she heard him gasp, and her eyes widened when she saw that he was only a green outline of himself and his eyes.

'_Where are we?_' Raven asked, as she looked around.

'_We can only talk through our minds, and we don't look normal so... are we in our minds?'_ Lloyd speculated.

Both Ninja looked down and noticed that they were still holding hands.

'_It's a good thing we held hands before coming here. We might have been lost from each other,_" Raven said, and Lloyd agreed.

Then a light shone, as Raven and Lloyd looked ahead to see a far-off light approaching them.

'_What's that?'_ Raven asked.

'_I don't know,_' Lloyd replied.

Then the light came closer at a higher speed, and Raven and Lloyd gasped, as Lloyd protectively wrapped his other arm around Raven. The light passed over them, as they closed their eyes, but it ended up changing their surroundings.

After a few moments of waiting, Lloyd and Raven opened their eyes as Lloyd let go of Raven. They looked around and their eyes widened in amazement and wonder at their new surroundings. There were wooden buildings, with various colored roofs that reached a little passed the building structure in a pyramid shape. Almost all of the buildings were square or rectangular, and the ground was all dirt with grass surrounding each house and an occasional tree with a bench next to it.

Raven and Lloyd looked around in surprise at the new location they were in. They were floating just above the ground, and they flew higher up above the roofs to see where they were. They saw that the land they were on was large and in a circular shape, and that there were four main roads that led together to a cylinder-shaped tower that had a smaller cylinder tower on top of it. There was a wall around the tower that protected it and kept others from coming too close without permission, besides an opening in the front with a gate. They flew a little higher, and they saw that there were three islands that connected to the main island that they were on, and that there were crops and farmland on those islands. The fourth side where there was no island, instead had a broad wedge-like ramp that connected to the top of a flat topped mountain... a mountain?

_'Lloyd... is this land in the sky?'_ Raven asked, as she slowly recognized the familiar land.

Lloyd noticed that clouds were almost right above their heads and that he could just reach up and touch them.

_'Raven... I think this is Aeroplane,'_ Lloyd replied.

_'You think so too?_' Raven asked, as she looked towards him.

'_Yes. Aeroplane is the only floating land that I know of, and even the way the other islands connect to it makes sense,'_ Lloyd replied.

'_That mountain... That's Soaria mountain! It has to be,_' Raven speculated, as she pointed towards the mountain that Aeroplane was connected to by the ramp.

'_Woah... so Aeroplane used to look like this,_' Lloyd said.

'_Hey, what's going on over there?_' Raven asked, as she saw some people gathering towards a certain location near the ramp.

'_I don't know, but I feel like we're supposed to go over there,_' Lloyd said, and Raven nodded.

Then they floated towards where the people were gathering, and they saw that the people were semi-circled around another group of people, who were packing boxes and items into two bullock carts that had straw tightened into round roofs on top of them and two oxes in the front. They were also packing some items into man-puller carts, and backpacks. The people who gathered around the group were helping the people pack, and the family members of the group who were packing were saying goodbye to them, as well as the people helping them.

Lloyd and Raven floated above the people and listened to what was going on, although the people didn't see or hear them at all.

'_They can't see us,_' Lloyd said.

'_That's right. The Blue Light-Sphere is only able to show us what happened in the past, so they can't actually see us because we're not actually here,_' Raven said, and Lloyd nodded.

'_Hm... wait, we're supposed to see how the First Purple and Green Ninja became the first two right? And we're in Aeroplane of the past... so they should be here,_' Lloyd said.

'_I can't imagine how Darkness would have looked before, and we've never seen the First Green ninja. How are we supposed to find them?_' Raven asked.

'_I don't think we have to find them. I have a feeling that we'll see them soon. We'll just have to wait and watch,_' Lloyd replied.

Then they turned their attention to the people before them.

A little boy and his mother stood looking at the group of people. Although they weren't family to the group, they were still waving goodbye and wishing the best for the travelers. The mother had brown hair that was loose to her shoulders and wore a black shirt with white pants and white shoes, with gold lipstick. The little boy had short blonde hair waved to the side, and he wore a white shirt with black pants and a golden belt. The mother held her son by his shoulders, and they would watch as the travelers were getting ready to go.

"You see, my boy. They are going to travel down to the land below and search for new food to grow here, and other types of meat from the animals down there too," the mother said in a warm voice.

"Will they be okay mommy?" The boy asked his mother.

"Oh don't worry sweety. They'll be alright. Half of them are hunters from the other mountain villages. They will protect the others," The mother reassured her son, and he nodded.

Lloyd looked at the boy for a moment longer, feeling as though he knew him from somewhere.

'_What's the matter Lloyd?_' Raven asked, noticing that he was staring at the boy with some concentration.

'_I-I'm not sure. That kid looks familiar,_' Lloyd replied.

'_He does look like you when you were a kid,_' Raven said with a small smile.

'_Hm. Yeah, it's probably the hair though,_' Lloyd said, and he smiled towards Raven.

Then they flew towards another side of the group, and they saw a young lady hugging her father, who was about to leave, along with her mother. The lady had straight blonde hair with bangs that swayed to the side of her forehead, and she wore a lime-green v-neck t-shirt with beige pants and black shoes. Her mother had blonde hair in a low braid with bangs, and she wore a malachite long-sleeved shirt with white borders on the shirt, and brown pants with black shoes. Her father had short light-brown hair with spiky bangs, and he wore an emerald-green shirt with a white scarf, and white pants with black shoes.

"Be safe dad. I'll miss you," the lady said after hugging her father.

"Aw. Don't worry about me Akemi. I'll come back home soon," her father said with a reassuring smile.

"Did you pack everything you need Akeno? Is there something your forgetting?" the mother of Akemi asked her husband.

"It's alright Midori. Everything is packed and I checked it twice," Akeno said to his wife, and she nodded.

"Come back soon love," Midori said to Akeno, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I will lovely," Akeno said, and he kissed Midori back.

Then Akeno looked passed Akemi's shoulder, and his expression became more serious and he said,

"You'll take care of things around town while I'm gone, right my boy?"

"I will sir. Don't fret for a moment," a male voice said from behind Akemi, as she turned around.

The guy behind Akemi had black hair that reached downward to his shoulders with downward spiky bangs, and he wore a plum-colored shirt with two white buttons near the collar and gray pants with black shoes. Akemi smiled at him, as he smiled back at her, and then she gave him a hug.

"Oh Meir, you came too," Akemi said.

"Of course I would my dear. I wouldn't let you say goodbye alone. Besides, I might have to hold you back from following your father down anyway," Meir said, as he stroked Akemi's head.

Akemi released Meir as she pouted and said, "You know me too well."

Meir chuckled, as did Akeno and Midori. Then Akeno stood in front of Meir and placed his hand on his shoulder, and asked,

"I'm counting on you Meir. Take care of the guard post in my place, and look after my family while I'm gone. Can I trust that my future son-in-law will be able to handle these tasks?"

Meir nodded and replied, "I will Akeno. I won't let you down."

Akeno patted Meir on the shoulder, and then he turned to go with his group.

As Akemi and Midori watched Akeno walk away, Meir felt a tap on his shoulder as he turned around to see a man with black hair that was spiked up while his bangs were spiked downward just over his eyes, who wore a violet-blue shirt with black pants and purple shoes.

"Father, you came," Meir said with a smile to the man, his father.

"Hello my son. Did you say goodbye to Akeno?" His father asked.

"Yes I did. I'm going to be taking his post guarding the temple until he returns," Meir replied.

"Ah, that's nice of you Meir. I remember doing the same thing for him when he would take Midori out on a date. He would always ask me, 'Yahto, can you take my post so that I can go out with Midori today? If I can even ask her,'" His father, Yahto, said as he and Meir snickered.

"Well. I'm glad your here dad," Meir said, as he patted Yahto on the shoulder, and he nodded towards him.

'_If that is his father. I wonder who is Meir's mother... unless she's not around. What do you think Lloyd?_' Raven asked, as she turned towards Lloyd, who was staring at Akemi.

'_Lloyd?_' Raven asked.

'_... Her voice... sounds familiar..._' Lloyd said.

'_You've heard her voice before? Where?_' Raven asked.

'_I'm not sure yet. Let's just keep watching,_' Lloyd said, as he turned towards Raven, and she nodded towards him.

Then they flew to another side of the crowd.

There was a group of eight people who stood semi-circled around an elderly man with a green bamboo stick for a cane. The seven people were leaders of seven mountain regions of where their villages rested on. The eighth person was the leader of Aeroplane, and the elderly man was in charge of the temple. (I'm just gonna write their names and descriptions.)

Peter is a mountain leader with all black hair that was long in the front and short in the back. He wore a brown robe with a beige shirt and pants underneath, and black shoes.

Adara is a mountain leader with black hair and messy bangs while the rest of her hair was spiked down to her shoulders. She wore an open crimson blazer with a dark gray shirt under, and black pants and shoes.

Rai is a mountain leader with short, messy brown hair and sideburns. He wore a cerulean scarf and pants, with a white shirt and shoes, as well as a white sash around his waist.

Belia is a mountain leader with long blonde hair that reaches to her waist and two curls on the sides of her face. She wore a white dress that reached just above her ankles with white shoes, and periwinkle-colored stockings and a long sleeve shirt under the dress.

Makani is a mountain leader with blonde hair in a ponytail, while the bangs were curled inward, and she had a black streak on the left side of her hair from the bangs to the bottom of the rest of it. She wore a timber wolf-colored shirt with flowing sleeves and shoes, and cool gray pants. The ribbon that held her hair up was also cool gray.

Nami is a mountain leader with straight black hair in a heart-shape that reaches her waist. She wore an open teal jacket and shoes, with a turquoise dress that reached her ankles and shorts to her knees that weren't visible.

Kaage is a mountain leader with medium-blonde hair in a curtained haircut. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt, pants, and shoes, with a pumpkin-colored leather jacket that was sleeveless and a sash around his waist.

Lerato is the leader of Aeroplane with curly white hair that reaches his shoulders, and he wore a charcoal-colored bandana around his head and pants. He wore an aureolin-colored long-sleeved shirt and shoes, and he had white rings on the bottom half of his shirt's sleeves.

Elder Vidur is the elderly dude in charge of over-looking and watching over the temple, as well as the guards who watch the temple. He has short brown hair that almost swirls around his head in a bubble with gray streaks across it. He wore brown pants and shoes, with a gray long-sleeved shirt, and an open white jacket with white and gray fur on the edges of it. He also had a gray mustache that reached just below his chin, and he held the green bamboo stick as a walking stick that was a few inches taller than himself.

"Man, it's great to visit Aeroplane again. This place is looking awesomer every time I come here," Rai said, as he looked around the city.

"It is nicer. I like it," Adara said, as she flipped her hair with her hand.

"Thank you. We appreciate your kind words," Lerato said, as he looked towards Elder Vidur and nodded, as he nodded back.

"So, how long until they return from the ground floor?" Peter asked, as he put his hands on the back of his head.

"In three days they are scheduled to return," Elder Vidur replied.

"Only three days? They won't get very far," Nami said.

"Well, we wouldn't want them to stay down there for long. It's dangerous," Elder Vidur said.

"Will they be alright down there?" Belia asked with concern.

"I'm sure they'll be alright. Besides, some of our people are with them so they'll be okay," Makani replied.

"Yeah. There's nothing to worry about. Our people will take care of them, or I'll slap them around," Kaage said, as he crossed his arms.

"I'll slap my own people thank you very much, Kaage," Adara said, and Kaage shrugged.

"I'm sure their trip will go well," Elder Vidur said with a smile, and the Mountain leaders agreed.

"Okay. It's time for them to go," Lerato said, as he stepped forward.

"MY PEOPLES! AND OUR GUESTS PEOPLES!" Lerato called out to everyone there, as they turned towards him.

"I WISH YOU SAFE TRAVELS AS YOU GO TO THE LAND BELOW, AND THAT YOU RETURN SAFELY. WE SHALL WAIT EAGERLY FOR YOUR ARRIVAL. UNTIL THEN OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY, STAY STRONG AND BE AWESOME!" Lerato said, as the crowd cheered.

Then the group of travelers grabbed their stuff and started heading down the ramp to Mount Soaria, as the other people waved goodbye. At one point, Meir had to hold onto Akemi so that she wouldn't run to her father. She pouted, but then she continued to wave goodbye to her father.

'_So they went down... but it was dangerous to go down before,_' Raven said.

'_Yeah, but until the First Spin- I mean, until my grandfather changed the land below, it __**was**__ dangerous,_' Lloyd said.

Suddenly, a blue wave swept over everything around Lloyd and Raven, as they closed their eyes since they were blinded by the bright light of it. After the wave passed and Raven and Lloyd were able to open their eyes, they were surprised to see that the land changed and everything was dark. It was night in Aeroplane, and there weren't many people walking around. There were streetlights that were made of jars with light bugs inside of them that stood on bamboo poles.

'_It's night,_' Raven said, as she looked around and saw that they were in the same place near the ramp to Mount Soaria.

'_Wait... did they come back?_' Lloyd said, as he noticed the two bullock carts were parked near the ramp, and empty boxes were around them.

_'It looks like it,'_ Raven said.

'_Three days passed already… I guess that was the light wave we saw. But why at this time?,_' Lloyd asked, more to himself.

'_Let's go find out,' _Raven said, and Lloyd nodded towards her.


	101. Chapter 101 Past Uprising

Lloyd and Raven started flying around the buildings to find someone who they saw before. They noticed that the streets were quiet, but something wasn't right. Then they noticed someone quickly traveling through the streets towards a certain house. When they further investigated, they saw that the person was Akemi, as she entered her house. They both decided to follow her for now to see if she knew what was going on. They were able to pass through the walls of the building, and they saw Akemi lock the door, as she approached her mother, who stood on a couch in the living room.

"I'm back mother," Akemi said, as she walked towards the couch and sat down.

"Oh thank goodness your okay," Midori said, as she held her daughter's hand.

"I am mom, but I'm really worried about daddy. He hasn't been the same since he came back. Nor have the others who came back," Akemi said, as she looked down towards the ground.

"I know dear. I'm worried about him too. None of them have been acting right since they first came back four days ago. They've been getting worse and worse. I heard that they want to break into the temple and take it over," Midori said.

"What? They can't do that! Why would they want to do that?" Akemi asked, surprised.

"I don't know Akemi. But your father hasn't objected to it. I think he's helping them too," Midori said, as she place her hand over her mouth in distress.

"He can't mommy. He can't do this. Why? What is wrong with them? They haven't been the same. It's like something is possessing them to do evil things. It's getting more dangerous to even travel outside at night!" Akemi said, as she stood up.

"I don't know Akemi, but what can we do? It's hard to decide on what to do since Akeno is our family and the others are our friends," Midori said, as she sniffled.

"Well, I'm not giving up. They can't be all evil and threaten our land! They need to be stopped," Akemi said, as she headed towards the other side of the room, towards a back window.

"Where are you going Akemi?" Midori asked, as she stood up.

"I'm going to find help, and stop dad and the others from reaching the temple," Akemi said.

"Oh Akemi..." Midori said, as she walked over and hugged her daughter.

"I'll be okay, momma. Don't worry," Akemi said, and she felt her mother place something in her pocket.

"Just in case," Midori said, as she sniffled again.

Akemi felt that the object in her pocket was a small knife. She looked towards her mother in surprise, as her mother smiled and walked back into the living room. Akemi smiled with determination, and then she opened the back window and jumped out, as she closed it behind her.

Lloyd and Raven looked towards one another in surprise, and then they followed Akemi. She was sneaking around through any dark, shadowy place, and sneaked passed any people who were walking the streets. Lloyd and Raven noticed that the people who were walking the streets didn't look right since their eyes looked red, as they patrolled the streets.

Then Akemi stood near a different house, as she tried to get to the front door, but there were patrolling people walking by, so she quickly ran behind the house. Before she could move further, she felt a hand grab her mouth and quickly pull her into the house. Lloyd and Raven followed, as they went through the walls into the house.

The one who pulled Akemi into the house let her go, as they quickly closed their back door. Akemi was ready to pull her knife, although she waited because she figured who he might be.

"Akemi, are you alright?" the person, revealed to be Meir, said as he walked towards her after locking the door.

"I am Meir. I'm so glad to see you," Akemi said, as she left her knife in her pocket.

"Thank goodness... Are you crazy Akemi?! It's dangerous, you know that. If they catch you, they'll put you in house arrest for traveling at night!" Meir whisper-yelled.

"I needed to see you Meir. This isn't right! Why are they trying to take over and keep the people locked up?! My mom said she heard that they wanted to get into the temple!" Akemi whisper-yelled back.

"What? They can't take over the temple. That's where the Platinum orb is," Meir whispered.

"I know. That's why I'm worried. Their actions have been getting worse from acting weird, to thievery, and then trying to take control of the city. It has to be stopped," Akemi whispered.

"But what can we do? They'll know who we are and they might go after your mother or raid our houses," Meir whispered.

"Your father isn't here?" Akemi asked in a whisper.

"No. He left on his trip at least a few hours before they came back. He's usually gone for a week," Meir replied in a whisper.

Akemi was trying to think of what to do, and then she looked towards the curtains and noticed that they had black shades that covered the window from outside view. However, the inside of the two windows had curtains, one made with green fabric, and the other made with purple fabric.

"We can use this," Akemi whispered, as a thought struck her and she grabbed the curtains down.

"What are you doing?" Meir asked in a whisper.

"We need to disguise ourselves so that they wouldn't know who we are and trash our homes or kidnap my mom. Also, I wouldn't want my father to see me..." Akemi whispered, as she looked down sadly.

Meir looked towards Akemi with sympathy, and then he became more determined as he grabbed onto the purple curtain fabric and whispered,

"Let's get to work my dear."

Akemi looked up at him and nodded. Then they both went to work on fixing the curtains to fit on them as disguises.

They were able to quickly gather a few supplies that Meir had in a storage closet, like sewing needles, thread, extra fabrics, and sheers. Akemi recognized most of the supplies and she looked towards Meir with sadness in her eyes and asked,

"Some of these belonged to Miss Kira, right?"

Meir looked towards the ground and replied, "Yes. I kept some of my mother's stuff. I didn't want it to go to waste, and it's just stuff I always remember her having."

Akemi gently placed her hand on Meir's arm and said, "We don't have to use it..."

"She left her stuff to me because she trusted that I would know what to do with it. And now is the time to use them," Meir said, more confidently and with a small smile, as Akemi nodded and smiled.

They both went back to work in creating their disguises, and they were able to finish them pretty quickly. After a moment to try them on, Akemi and Meir looked in a mirror that was on a wall adjacent to the windows.

Meir's disguise was a purple hood that wrapped around his head and mouth, and it covered the whole back of his head. The sleeves and pants were all purple, and he wore a black vest with a silver sash around his waist and one over his shoulder, with black threading that etched both sashes. His shoes were black, as well as the black gloves he wore with purple thread etched around the gloves.

Akemi's disguise was a green hood that wrapped around her head and mouth, and it covered the whole back of her head, even her hair. The sleeves and pants were green, and she also wore a black vest with golden edges around the sleeves, lower torso, and neck, with black etching on each golden piece. Her shoes were black, and she wore black gloves with green threads etched around the wrist in three circles.  
"Huh, these came out better than I thought. What do you think? Do I look okay?" Akemi asked as she turned to each of her sides while looking through the mirror.

"You look great, love" Meir replied.

"Your not just saying that because I asked, huh?" Akemi asked, with suspicion in her voice.

"No, I mean it. Besides, you make the color green look more appealing to me when _your_ wearing it~" Meir replied with an unseen smirk, as Akemi blushed and giggled a bit.

"Oh! Wait a minute! We're supposed to go to the temple!" Akemi exclaimed, but more softly since they had to be as quiet as possible.

"Oh, right. Our hotness was too distracting," Meir said, as Akemi held in a laugh.

"Let's go quickly," Akemi said, and Meir agreed, as they quickly and quietly left the house, unseen.

Lloyd and Raven watched as Meir and Akemi were leaving the house. They looked towards one another in surprise, and they knew what the other was thinking.

"Let's... watch them a bit longer," Lloyd said to Raven, and she nodded.

They continued to follow after Meir and Akemi, silently, since they had a suspicion of who these two were.

Meir and Akemi were able to sneak towards the temple, although they ended up beating up three friends of theirs, since they were corrupted, on their way.

"I feel pretty bad for hurting them, but we couldn't let them go," Meir said, as he and Akemi stood on a roof of a building near the opposite entrance of the temple outer wall.

"I do too. But we have to stop them, for their sake and ours," Akemi said, and Meir nodded.

"This temple... is part of the castle of present Aeroplane," Raven said as she looked at the temple.

"Where we landed with the Aerocars?" Lloyd asked, and Raven nodded and added,

"That's where you guys first met Auria."

Lloyd nodded in remembrance.

"So, are you ready to do this?" Meir asked Akemi.

"Of course," Akemi winked and nodded, as Meir nodded back.

"I'll go first," Meir said, and Akemi nodded in approval.

Meir stood up on the roof, which was a hanging roof but it had a flat top instead of pointed upward, and he ran across the roof toward the wall. Near the edge of the roof, he jumped across the gap between the roof and the wall, as he landed on the wall easily. Then he moved over as he waited for Akemi to jump. Akemi jumped across the gap, and was able to make it across as she landed on the wall. Meir grabbed a hold of her when she wobbled a bit so that she wouldn't slip.

Then Meir jumped down to the ground below, and landed silently. He stood up from his crouched position, and he looked up for Akemi, when she immediately landed not too far from him on the ground. Meir was surprised at first, but when Akemi stood up and winked at him, he chuckled.

Then they heard voices from afar, as they quickly and quietly followed the sound towards the front of the temple. They stood hidden near the side of the temple, as they saw the temple wall entrance with the large gate, closed, and numerous people on each side.

"Let us in!"

"We won't hurt you if you do!"

"We want to get in!"

"Open the gate!" People on the other side of the gate yelled out at those who were holding the gate closed.

"What is wrong with you guys?!"

"You can't just break into the temple!"

"Idiots! You know not what your doing!"

"Enough of this!" Some of the leaders yelled out at their own corrupted people, as they held the gate closed.

"It's getting worse," Akemi whispered to Meir.

"Let's get inside," Meir said.

The two quickly sneaked into the front door of the temple without being spotted.

"It's horrible," Raven said, as she watched the people fight with the corrupted ones.

"Yeah. They're fighting their own friends... their own family," Lloyd said as he quickly reminiscent the time when he had to fight against his father.

"They went inside," Raven said, as she pointed to the temple.

"Let's go," Lloyd said, as they flew through the walls into the temple.


	102. Chapter 102 Descending Venture

The first room of the temple was large and in the shape of a semi-circle. There were two torches on the upper sides of the entrance wall, and four other torches that were evenly spaced on the round side of the room to the flat side. A white rug with golden borders led from the rounded entrance to the flat opposite side of the room. On the flat side of the room, there was a large, dark red curtain that covered the whole wall, and there was an extra step up to a stand that stood near the curtained wall. The stand had a round bronze base, with a thick center stick that was made of gold and silver in upward bands, and a flat, square, platinum top that was held up by the center stick. The rest of the room, like the walls, floor, and ceiling, was made of gray stone.

After quickly looking around the room, Lloyd and Raven noticed that Akemi and Meir were following a young man behind the red curtain, through a secret door. They flew through the wall to see where they were going, and they ended up in the secret other half of the room. This room had a stairway on the round side of walls that spiraled upward to another floor. Besides the stairs, most of the room was empty, besides on torch on the flat wall, and it was made of all gray stone.

Then Lloyd and Raven noticed that the young man, who had short, light brown hair, wore a white robe with black pants and shoes, and he had a scar just above his eyebrow that went upward on his head and lost in his hair. He grabbed the torch that was on the flat wall, and he kicked the center ground near the flat wall in a rhythmical matter. After a few seconds, a rectangular section of the ground flipped up to reveal a young lady, who wore similar clothes to the young man. Her hair was jet-black and reached her waist, and her bangs reached close to her eyes, while the hair near the ending sides of her bangs reached just passed her shoulders.

"You knocked, Garen?" The young lady asked, in a soft voice.

"Yes, Jetta. I need to bring Meir and Akemi to the Platinum Orb," Garen replied, and the young lady, Jetta, nodded.

She climbed out of the secret floor entrance, and there were stairs that led downward.

"Go straight in. I will send a warning just in case I hear anyone come here," Jetta said, and Garen nodded.

Garen walked down the stairs first, and then Akemi and Meir followed. Afterward, Jetta walked down the stairs, looked around, and then she flipped the ground back to normal.

Lloyd and Raven followed the trio down the dark stair way and corridors. The trio met a few of the temple guards, as they stood around their post, just in case if they had to send a message to each other through the halls and stairways.

"We were told by Elder Vidur to stay hidden down here until the trouble above is settled down or resolved. It's been tough for us though, but we've been getting by this past week," Garen said, as they descended another stairway, and were walking down a longer corridor.

"I've heard it's been rough around the temple, but after seeing how it was outside, it's worse than I thought," Meir said.

"Yeah, it's been getting worse. I'm the only one who's allowed to walk around the upper-level of the temple. The other guards have to stay down here, hidden for their safety if anything happens," Garen said.

"You guys shouldn't have to go through this," Akemi said.

"It's unfortunate, but it's our duty as the Temple Guards to protect this temple and the Platinum Orb. We do what we must," Garen said, and signed.

"What's the matter?" Meir asked, hearing contemplation in Garen's sign.

"Meir... Akemi... if they break in and find the orb, it may be the end of Aeroplane," Garen said, without turning to look at them.

Meir and Akemi's eyes widened in surprise, and Garen continued,

"You see, after the Platinum orb had risen the land of Aeroplane above the ground, the people decided to build the temple to protect the orb, since they thought that if the orb was damaged then Aeroplane would fall to the ground. However, it was discovered about thirty years ago that the Platinum Orb has been dormant ever since it rose Aeroplane above the ground. This means that, even if the orb is damaged or broken, Aeroplane would still stay afloat... but the Platinum orb still has power. Power that we know nothing about or what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands... so... what I'm trying to say is... if our corrupted comrades end up coming down here..."

Garen took a moment longer to think, and then he asked,

"Will you two break the Platinum orb?"

Meir and Akemi gasped, as they looked towards one another.

"I'm sorry for asking you two this, but your the only ones I can trust with such a task, considering that the other Temple Guards may reconsider since our jobs _are_ to protect the temple _and_ the orb. But the orb cannot fall into the wrong hands, especially since we don't know what could happen," Garen said.

He stopped halfway through the hallway, and turned towards Meir and Akemi, as they all stopped walking.

"Can I trust that, if push comes to shove... will you two do what is necessary to protect everyone?" Garen asked.

Meir and Akemi looked towards one another, and then they looked back at Garen and nodded.

"Garen!" A voice called out from where they were walking from in the corridor.

"Revere? Is that you? What happened?" Garen asked, as he started walking towards the direction of the voice.

As Garen was walking away, Meir and Akemi noticed that the light of the torch that Garen was holding was getting dimmer, but there was another light coming from the opposite side of the corridor.

"Garen! They're here! They're coming! The Corrupted are coming!" Revere yelled out to Garen, as he heard footsteps coming close to the stairway that was behind him.

Garen stopped moving, as his eyes widened, and then he said to Revere, "How? How did they know the orb was down here?!"

Revere replied, "Akeno is leading them!"

Garen gasped, as he thought, 'Akeno…_? He's a temple guard too. Of course he would know!_'

"Keep them at bay!" Garen yelled out, as Revere nodded and turned around as he ran up the stairs.

Garen turned around and ran down the hall, as he yelled out,

"Akemi! Meir! Run! Go to the Platinum orb! They're here! They're coming!"

"What?! How did they know to come down here?!" Akemi asked, in surprise.

"Your father is leading them!" Garen yelled out, as Akemi grew pale.

"GO! I'll try to hold them off! GO!" Garen said, as he ran back to where Revere was.

Meir and Akemi took a moment to take in the new information. Then Meir said,

"We got to go."

"But..." -Akemi

"We got to go now. We may not have a second chance." -Meir

"But Meir, my dad, he..." -Akemi

"It's not his fault Akemi. He's in a crazy spell right now, he doesn't know what he's doing. Your father is a good man, and I know he wouldn't want to do this willingly." -Meir

"... Okay. Let's go." -Akemi

Meir and Akemi turned and started running down the rest of the corridor towards the glowing, soft green, light. They heard multiple yells and footsteps that were starting to run towards them from the beginning of the corridor. However, they kept running faster and faster, until they entered the next room. They both skidded to a halt when they entered the room and almost ran into a railing.

They stood on a small balcony in the next room, that had a metal, horizontal railing to prevent anyone from falling off. Meir and Akemi looked over the railing, which reached their waist, and their jaws dropped when they looked down. About five stories below them stood a large, glowing orb that was about ten feet wide and tall. It stood near the center of the circular room on the ground, and it was glowing, not very brightly, but the room was lit up vividly.

After taking a moment to admire it's beauty, Meir and Akemi heard noise from a distance behind them, and they knew what they had to do.

Lloyd and Raven examined the Platinum orb from above, and they noticed how it's appearance was similar to the Purple ninja's orb.

Meir and Akemi looked towards the corridor, and then they looked down at the Platinum orb. They locked eyes with one another, as they gave each other a sad smile.

"No matter what happens..." Meir said, and Akemi finished by saying,

"I will love you always."

Meir and Akemi gave each other a quick hug, and then they jumped up on the metal railing. They held hands and took their hoods down from their faces, as they looked down at the Platinum orb.

"Ready?" Akemi asked.

"Of course," Meir replied, as they swung their hands back and forth.

"Hey... Akemi?!" Akeno's voice was heard from the corridor, as Akemi cringed and Meir looked towards her.

"I love you daddy," Akemi said, and then Meir and Akemi jumped forward.

Lloyd and Raven gasped, as they saw the couple falling towards the Platinum orb.

"Akemi! Meir!" Akeno screamed out when he reached over the railing and saw them falling down.

The other corrupted people gathered near the balcony and shockingly looked over. Akemi and Meir closed their eyes, as they came into impact with the Platinum orb. A crash was heard, as Meir and Akemi broke through the top of the Platinum orb and almost disappeared inside of it.

**I'm sorry for the cliffhanger.**


	103. Chapter 103 Ascending Power

Akeno and the corrupted people watched for a bit longer, as they noticed that the cracked Platinum Orb slowly started to spin. Then it spun faster and faster, as it started to glow brighter and larger.

"Everybody run!" Akeno yelled out, as he and the corrupted people ran for their lives out from where they came from.

Lloyd and Raven watched for a moment longer, but the light was so bright, even for them, that they flew upward out of the temple.

Outside, the corrupted people and the Temple guards were running out of the temple hastily, as they stood just outside of the gate. Many were confused, as well as the Mountain leaders, who stood between the temple and the gate. Elder Vidur was with them as well, and they all heard a strange sound coming from the temple.

Geran wasn't too far from the leaders, as he stood looking at the temple.

"They did it," Geran said to himself, although Elder Vidur heard him.

"Who did what, Geran?" Elder Vidur asked.

"Uh... -Sign- I asked Meir and Akemi if they would break the Platinum orb so that the others wouldn't get it," Geran replied, as Elder Vidur and the Leaders gasped.

"YOU told them to do it?!" Akeno cried out, as he was already approaching them, and overheard Geran's confession.

"Well its better to be broken than in YOUR hands! You know about the Platinum orb and that it's power is unknown! I couldn't take the chance of you and the corrupted ones getting it and most likely destroying everything!" Geran shouted at Akeno, as the corrupted man looked away in hurt and anger, mostly at himself.

"Look!" Belia said and pointed towards the top of the temple.

A concentration of swirling Platinum energy stood at the top of the temple. Everyone from all around Aeroplane was looking towards the bright light, as it grew larger and was close to being the size of temple. The people watched in amazement, as did Raven and Lloyd, and they saw that the Platinum energy was forming into something.

It was a mostly translucent being, besides the heads, wings, claws, and teeth that were opaque. The being had two heads that connected towards the translucent body, and each head had a pair of white teeth and a 'V' shaped armor of Platinum on each head that reached from the front snout to just passed the back of the head. The four claws on each of its four feet were white, and the end of its long tail had a double platinum hook on it. The being lifted it's two heads to look at all the people, as the platinum wings of this glowing creature started to spread out, which released white feathers from the wings that were gently falling down.

As the people, Raven, and Lloyd looked in awe at this magnificent beast, the two headed creature looked at them with one head having green eyes and the other having purple eyes, each with black slits.

Then the creature lifted it's front feet up and slammed them down, as the temple roof cracked, while the creature roared into the sky with its two heads.

The deep and echoing sound of the creature danced in the air above it for a moment, before spreading out downward and out towards the people in a large platinum wave that seemed to go right through them. Everyone covered their eyes from the brightness of the waves. The corrupted people fell back on the ground, while the others were pushed, although some people were hit but the power didn't seem to leave them.

The light-based, Platinum waves traveled far and quickly through the skies, even passed Aeroplane to the other mountain regions. What was interesting also, was that the temple under the creature's feet was restored, and the walls were transformed to a glowing white, as the inside was transformed from gray stone to platinum stone.

After this was done, the platinum creature ceased it's roaring, and lowered it's heads as the eyes were closed. Then the platinum creature started to fade away outwardly, until it completely disappeared within the temple.

The people finally opened their eyes when they felt and heard that it was over. They looked at the temple and saw that the Platinum creature was no longer there. Then they turned and noticed that the once corrupted people who fell down, we're waking up, but they were no longer corrupted with evil. After taking a moment to talk with them, the people began to rejoice in having their friends and loved ones back to normal.

Between the temple and gate, the leaders were a bit dazed from the wave and we're shaking it off, while Elder Vidur and Garen stood with Akeno, since he fell to the ground. They were able to help Akeno on his feet, as he stood up and shook his head to knock away the remaining dizziness.

"What... what happened? I feel... I feel normal again. I'm back," Akeno said as he looked at his hands and then towards Elder Vidur and Garen.

"Yes. It looks like everyone has returned to normal," Elder Vidur said, as he heard the rejoicing of the people just outside of the gate.

"Whoa man... What was that?" Adara said, as she looked towards the top of the temple, and back towards the others.

"It was like a, like a two headed dragon," Peter said, as he rubbed the side of his head.

"It could have been a bird," Kaage said.

"But a bird doesn't have teeth," Makani said, as Kaage thought about it and shrugged.

"A Platinum dragon," Elder Vidur said, as he looked at the temple.

"Yeah, that's what we'll call it. 'The Platinum dragon,'" Rai said, as he emphasized the name with a slow sweeping of his hand.

"Excuse me! Elder Vidur, Prince Lorato!" A female voice was heard approaching them from the gate, as the whole group turned to see Midori.

"M-Midori," Akeno said, as he walked just passed the group towards his wife.

"A-Akeno," Midori said, as her eyes widened to see her husband, normal again.

"Oh Midori!" Akeno cried out, as he moved towards her.

"My Akeno!" Midori also cried out and quickly moved towards him.

They both embraced in a tight hug, as the others watched with smiles on their faces.

"Your back. You've come back to me," Midori said in happiness.

"Yes, I'm back... but Akemi and Meir are the ones you should thank for that," Akeno said, as he became a little sad.

Midori noticed his sadness, and as they parted from the hug, she asked, "What's the matter de-"

Akeno noticed that Midori cut off, and when he looked at her, he saw that she was looking over his shoulder toward the temple. When he turned around, Akeno saw who Midori was looking at. The others also turned to see who they were looking at and they le gasped.

Two people were walking out from the temple entrance. They each wore clothing that was their signature color of green or purple, but they had shoulder armor with three horizontal spikes made of platinum on. They also had platinum-colored belts around their waists, and hoods that had a platinum head guard in the shape of a 'V' on the foreheads.

The two people removed their hoods, revealing themselves as Meir and Akemi. They were still holding hands, as they took in their surroundings, noticing that the sky was lighter than before.

"Meir, it's morning," Akemi said, as she looked to her left and saw the sun rising.

Meir looked towards the sunrise, and he smiled and said, "Yeah, there's always light after the darkest of times, huh?"

Akemi turned towards Meir and smiled at him, as he smiled back.

"Meir! Akemi!" They heard a voice call their names, as they looked ahead and saw Midori and Akeno running towards them.

"Mother! Father! -Gasp- Daddy!" Akemi called out in pure delight as she started running toward her parents, along with Meir, who followed her.

Akemi embraced her parents, as they hugged her back, and they were nearly sobbing. Then the three looked towards Meir, and they grabbed him at the same time to give him a hug. Although he was nervous and surprised at first, Meir just shrugged and hugged his soon-to-be family members.

"Aw, look at them. It's so wonderful," Nami commented, as she cupped her hands together near the side of her face.

"So cute," Belia said.

"Yeah it's nice, but that Platinum dragon was epic, yeah?" Adara said, as she snapped her fingers.

However, when she snapped her fingers, a flame had appeared on her fingertips. The others looked at her in awe as they saw that her hand was on fire. She look at her hand in puzzlement and then she started to freak out, saying,

"M-My hand is on fire! Fire!"

However, Nami saw that her hand was on fire so she moved one foot forward, and with her hand she snapped it forward as water sprang from her hand and extinguished the flame. As everyone looked on in amazement and bewilderment, Nami was more surprised at what she had done that she stood staring at her hand.

"What on earth was that?" Peter asked, as the leaders were silent from confusion.

"This must be the Platinum orb's work, or better yet, the Platinum dragon," Elder Vidur said, as Akemi, her parents, and Meir approached the group.

"A Platinum dragon?" Akemi asked.

"Didn't you see it? It was standing on the tower not too long ago," Rai asked.

"We didn't see a dragon when we were up there," Meir replied.

"What?!" The leaders asked simultaneously.

"We were standing on the tower, both of us, and we didn't see a dragon. We only saw you guys down below," Akemi replied.

Elder Vidur scratched his chin, and then he nodded and said, "I see... so you didn't create the Platinum dragon, you _were_ the Platinum dragon."

Everyone looked at Elder Vidur with widened eyes, as they realized his revelation.

"That's..." Peter said but was interrupted by Rai, who said,

"Awesome!"

Peter flicked Rai over the head, as he said "Ow" and rubbed his head.

"Why did you hit me?" Rai asked with a pout.

"I wanted to say it," Peter said, and the others started laughing.

"I wonder if _all_ of you share in this power," Elder Vidur said.

"What about you?" Lerato asked.

"I don't feel very different, but my assumption is that, maybe, some people received some powers while others did not."

The group looked at one another, and then they looked towards Meir and Akemi.

"You have saved all of Aeroplane and all of our friends and family. We are grateful to you, heroes," Lerato said, as he nodded towards them.

"Please, Prince Lerato," Akemi said.

"There's no need," Meir added.

But Lerato said, "Yes there is."

He turned toward the people, who started walking through the gate, as Peter lifted him up to stand on his shoulders so that he could be seen and heard.

"Everyone! Meet the heroes of Aeroplane and all of Ninjago: Meir and Akemi... the Ninja of Ninjago!" Lerato announced, as Meir and Akemi were pushed forward a bit to be seen by the people, as they cheered.

The couple looked towards one another, and then they smiled, as they turned back toward the people and waved, humbly.

Lloyd and Raven watched in perplexed surprise, but with more understanding as a blue wave was coming to show them something else. They stood firm and closed their eyes, although they spoke to one another, while the blue wave was changing their surroundings.

"So, they really _are_ the First Green and Purple ninja," Raven said.

"Yeah. I didn't expect that," Lloyd said.

"And that means... Darkness... is Meir," Raven said.

"That's right... his real name is Meir," Lloyd said.

"How did he change so much?" Raven asked in a sympathetic tone.

"I don't know, but I got a feeling we'll know soon enough," Lloyd said.

"I'm scared to know," Raven admitted, and Lloyd moved closer to her, as he wrapped his free arm around her, comfortingly.

"I'm scared too, but we have to know what happened. We have to know about the past, so that we can change the future," Lloyd said, and Raven breathed out calmly.


	104. Chapter 104 Rising Plight

Then they opened their eyes and saw that they were in the same place at Aeroplane, and that it was early in the morning. The people were pretty active, although everything was peaceful. Lloyd and Raven started flying towards the temple, and they went inside. They saw that Akemi, Jetta, Garen, and Elder Vidur were in the temple, and that the wall that divided the room in a semi-circle was broken. The red curtain was spread around the walls in a semi-circle that was opposite to the door, while the rest of the wall was glowing platinum. The stand was still there but it was pushed back in front of the stairway that led to the top floor, which was covered by a Platinum stone wall. There were also eight glass cases that stood near the curtain walls; four evenly spaced on one side, and the other four evenly spaced on the other side. Within the glass cases were the eight Platinum weapons.

"-Gasp- The Platinum weapons!" Raven said, excitedly, as Lloyd's eyes widened.

"Thank you once again for creating the Platinum weapons for us Akemi. It was nice of you and Meir to make them for the Mountain leaders and Prince Lerato. They really need a regulator to assist them in using and controlling their elemental-linked powers," Elder Vidur said, gratefully.

"It's no trouble for us Elder Vidur. Besides, we feel a certain responsibility for the others since we kind of 'gave' them those powers," Akemi said, as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Thank you for your help," Elder Vidur said, and Akemi nodded.

"Now all we have to do is wait for them to arrive when they receive the invitations," Garen said.

"Yes. Akemi, I mean, Green Ninja, may you inform your husband of the news?" Elder Vidur asked.

"Sure. I'll let Meir know," Akemi said, and she saluted with a smile, as she turned and ran towards the exit of the temple.

"I'm happy for them. The Purple and Green Ninja... they're meant to be," Jetta said, and Geran and Elder Vidur agreed.

Lloyd and Raven then followed after Akemi.

"So they're married now, and the Platinum weapons we're forged by them... Seems like it's been a while since they first received their powers," Raven said.

"They actually created the Platinum weapons... no wonder Darkness couldn't lock the kunoichis' powers. He helped create the weapons in the first place," Lloyd said.

"That's right," Raven said.

Then Lloyd and Raven saw Akemi slowing down her pace, as she made it towards the edge of Aeroplane, where the ramp was but was removed. Meir stood sitting near the edge, as he looked around the land below and far.

"Meir darling~" Akemi called sweetly, as Meir turned and stood up from where he was sitting.

He smiled lovingly at his wife, as she blushed when he locked eyes with her.

"Hello my love~" Meir said, as he walked up to Akemi, and they stood before each other, while grasping each others' hands.

"I spoke with Elder Vidur and the others. They wanted to thank us again for making the Platinum weap-" Akemi stopped speaking when Meir gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Oh sorry love. I couldn't help it, your so cute when you speak," Meir said, as he blushed, which made Akemi smile.

"Well, the Mountain leaders should arrive here shortly after they receive their invitations," Akemi finished, and Meir nodded and said,

"That's good. They'll learn how to control their powers better."

Akemi nodded, but she felt as if Meir wanted to tell her something.

"Is there something wrong Meir?" Akemi asked, unsure if what she felt was right.

Meir looked towards the ground for a moment, and then he looked up at Akemi and replied,

"It's just... I've been sitting here thinking and well... I would like to explore the land below."

Akemi's eyes widened a bit, and she said,

"But Meir, you remember what happened the last time people went down. They weren't the same."

"I know Akemi, but with these powers I don't think I'll have to worry. If we were able to remove that corruption from our people, I'm sure it can't effect us," Meir replied confidently.

Akemi thought about it with skepticism, and Meir added,

"Also, if we could use our powers to change the land below, maybe people will be able to live there again, and we won't feel so..."

"Trapped," Akemi finished Meir's sentence, and he nodded.

"-Sign- Well..." Akemi said, as Meir tilted his head to the side with a quivering lower lip.

"Oh, not 'the Face' Meir," Akemi said, but Meir started to whine with puppy dog eyes.

Akemi couldn't help but smile as she slowly shook her head.

"Alright, go ahead. Just be careful and come home soon okay?" Akemi asked, and Meir returned his face to normal as he nodded.

Then they embraced, as Meir stroked Akemi's hair and said, "I'll be fine my dearest. I'll come home as soon as I can."

After giving each other a loving kiss, the two ninja parted ways, as Meir summoned his Silver dragon and descended from Aeroplane, while Akemi summoned her Golden dragon and flew back into the city.

Lloyd and Raven decided to follow Meir down from Aeroplane.

"It's best if we watch him. He _does_ become our enemy later," Lloyd said, and Raven nodded.

"Maybe we'll be able to see why," Raven said, and added, "But Lloyd, they didn't have elemental powers until Meir and Akemi became the Platinum dragon... so..."

"So?" Lloyd asked since Raven trailed off.

"How are we going to unlock our powers?" Raven asked.

Lloyd took a moment to think about it, but he replied, "I-I don't know."

Lloyd and Raven turned their attention back to Meir when he jumped off of the Silver dragon, as it faded away. He landed on the ground floor in a forest, as he looked around.

"Whoa... they said there were hundreds of trees in groups, but I didn't realize how BIG the trees were," Meir said, as he observed his surroundings of the ten foot thick and almost 100 foot tall trees.

Then Meir started to travel around, occasionally on the Silver dragon, and he saw the land and creatures that lived there. There were forest that went on for miles, and certain areas were swamp-like with more ravenous animals living in them.

There was also a great lake that stretched for miles across a land that would one day be covered in scorching heat and sand. Many aquatic creatures lived in that vast lake, and some of them were large, monstrous beasts of the sea with plenty of teeth and tentacles.

There were high rocky terrains, and caverns that went deep below the surface. Certain dark caverns held creatures that only hunted at night, and some of them were large, red, lizard-like creatures that were known to never miss their targets.

This land was wild and free, full of vivid colors especially green. However, some parts of the land were darker than others, and the water around those areas was a mix of dark colors.

Meir didn't often walk through those dark areas, but he kept them in mind. Then at one point, Meir walked in a forest opening were a little lake was, as he looked at his reflection through the water.

"So clear," Meir commented, and he lifted his head to take in the whole view.

"M-Meir?" A familiar voice called, as the First Purple ninja quickly stood up and turned around.

"F-Father?" Meir asked, as he saw his father Yahto standing a couple of feet from him.

"Meir, y-you came down here?" Yahto asked his son, as he walked closer to him.

"Yeah. I wanted to explore the under-lands of Ninjago. I thought if there was a way to fix this land, then maybe the people won't have to be afraid to come down here anymore. It'll be safer," Meir replied.

Yahto looked towards the ground with a slanted frown, as Meir took notice of it.

"What's the matter dad?" Meir asked.

"-Sign- My son, this land here is wild and neutral. There is no light or darkness that solely rules over it, but in Aeroplane and the other Mountain villages, light is the sole proprietor, especially because of the Platinum orb..." Yahto took a minute to think before adding, "The people of the lands above cannot handle being in a land where there is no light or balance in general. That's why they became corrupt and dark. They adjusted to living in light, that the sudden unbalance was too great to bare."

"They're not used to the way it is down here, in other words," Meir said, and Yahto replied,

"It's like living in a dark cave for all of your life, and then running out into the daylight, although vice versa."

Meir nodded in understanding, but then a thought occurred to him that made him ask,

"Wait, but if people can't handle being down here, why am I perfectly fine and you too?"

Yahto signed, knowing that the day had finally come. So he replied,

"Meir, we are not normal like the people who live above us. You see, I am a person who has received the power of a creature that once lived down here who was immune to many things, which included the unbalance of this land. This power has been passed down to me, for being trustworthy and the most responsible in keeping it safe. I am... a Black Mambian."

Meir looked at his father in confusion and asked, "What is a Black Mambian?"

"Let me show you," Yahto said, as he moved his hands up and a blue flame engulfed his body.

Meir was worried at first, but then he gasped when he saw a large serpent-humanoid standing in his father's place. (Just know, Black Mambians usually look the same except the horns, eyes, and teeth. In this case, Yahto had four horns around the top of his head that point downward, his eyes glowed blue with larger pupils not like slits, and his teeth were longer but thinner than Terrin's)

"I know this may come as quite a shock to you, my son. I wanted to tell you earlier, but it was difficult since your life was getting together and I didn't want this truth to mess it up for you," Yahto said.

Meir didn't speak for a moment, and then he said, "But dad, this is extraordinary. Hold on, can I actually transform like that?"

Yahto chuckled and said, "No. Only I can transform."

Meir pouted, but then he looked at his hands in awe, and said, "I can't wait to tell Akemi, and our other friends."

"Meir, you can't tell anyone," Yahto said.

Meir raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why not?"

Yahto replied, "As I said, we're not normal. Look at me my son, and tell me... do I look any different than the creatures who live down here? The monsters that the people above are afraid of?"

"What? But dad, your not a monster, and I'm not a monster either. You proved that yourself by always helping the people of Aeroplane like Akeno, and I proved that by becoming the Purple ninja. There's no reason for anyone to believe that we're monsters," Meir said.

"Meir, I've learned many things in life living on Aeroplane and living down here. What I learned is that people and creatures share something in common: when they are afraid, and especially when they are backed up against a corner with no way out, their true selves emerge. I don't want you to get hurt my son. That's why I didn't tell you this whole time. I didn't want you to be treated different or to treat yourself different," Yahto said.

"Dad, if this is what I am, what I was born as, why should others be afraid of me? They know who I am, what does it matter if I'm a Black Mambian or a normal person? And even if i would have known what I was before, I don't think it would have mattered to me. I still would have jumped to save Aeroplane," Meir said.

"But would you have jumped alone? Or, would you have been trusted to do it in the first place?" Yahto asked, as Meir's eyes widened in surprise to those questions.

"What are you saying?" Meir asked, with a little tension in his voice.

"I'm just saying, if they all knew what you were, would Garen have trusted you? Would Akemi still be with you? Would you have been named the 'Purple ninja?'" Yahto asked, and Meir fell silent in shock and some anger to what his father was saying.

Yahto continued, "You need to understand Meir, it could be very dangerous for us to reveal ourselves to the others. The reason people live above is to escape the monsters below, and welcoming them may not be-"

"No!" Meir interrupted Yahto, as he stood quiet.

Meir continued, "How can you say that we will automatically be rejected by others? And how could you assume that Akemi would think otherwise of loving me because of what I am, something that _you_ never told me?!"

"I'm sorry. Akemi is a special girl, I didn't mean to lower her standards," Yahto said, and continued, "And I was only protecting you."

"Did mom know?" Meir asked.

"Yes. I told her before I proposed to her," Yahto replied.

"So you can tell mom, but I can't tell Akemi?" Meir asked, with half closed eyes.

"I don't like your tone Meir, and I already told you why you shouldn't. You can't take such a risk like this so soon," Yahto said.

"I don't know dad, you say that they're afraid, but your the one who doesn't want to take the risk," Meir said as he folded his arms.

Yahto's expression turned to shock, and then it quickly changed to anger, with gritted teeth and shuttered eyes.

"Fine! You want them to know? You think it'll all be fine and dandy? Then go! Show them! Show them what you really are!" Yahto shouted, as his left hand was glowing white and blue, and he reached out towards Meir and pulled back.

With that movement, Meir's mouth started to glow blue and white, and the power infused in his mouth flew out and returned to his father's hand. Meir started to cough and choke, and then he started breathing again, but more heavily.

"F-Father, what wassss that?" Meir asked, and his eyes widened when he realized that he hissed.

Meir quickly moved towards the lake and looked into the water. He gasped when he saw his reflection, and that he had two sharp fangs and a serpent tongue.

"That's what a Black Mambian's child inherits from their parent. I used some of my power when you were just a youngling to hide it, even from you. Now go. Show them!" Yahto said, and then he turned and slithered away.

Meir was a little shaken from the sudden change, but he stood up and turned towards his father and said, "I will! I'll show you father! I'll show you!"

Yahto disappeared into the forest, and Meir turned around and jumped up as he summoned his Silver dragon.

"Where should I go... Aeroplane... no. I'll head to Lightning Mountain village. They're pretty close-by anyway," Meir said to himself, as he headed towards the village.

"This doesn't look good," Lloyd said, as Raven and he followed after Meir.

"I wonder... is _this_ what he meant?" Raven said, as she remembered a former conversation she had with Darkness.

"What is?" Lloyd asked.

"Well, when Darkness captured me, he was telling me about how people are, and that I won't have to suffer anymore from rejection if I joined him," Raven replied.

"I heard him saying that when I was climbing the tower to save you," Lloyd said.

"I'm a little more worried now," Raven said.

"Me too. But we've come this far," Lloyd said, as he looked towards Raven and she looked at him.

"No turning back," Raven said, as Lloyd nodded, and then they looked forward again.


	105. Chapter 105 Where do I belong?

**Okay here's the next chapter. I felt sad writing this one, to be honest. **

Meir flew across the skies until he saw the Lightning Mountain village, and then he flew lower so that he wouldn't be seen. He landed halfway below the Mountain village secretly, and then he worked his way upward. He stood before the entrance of the village, and after taking a deep breath, he entered the village. His fangs were slightly visible, although his tongue wasn't since his mouth was closed. As he walked around a bit, certain kids were able to recognize him from afar. They ran over to Meir with smiles on their faces and said, "The Purple Ninja! The Purple Ninja!"

Meir shyly smiled, as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Hey kidssss," Meir greeted them, but soon regretted it when he automatically stressed the 's' sound with his serpent tongue.

The kids looked at him in awe, while some of them gasped.

"What is that?" A little girl asked, pointing to Meir's tongue.

"Whoa. You get that for being a ninja?" A little boy asked.

"I want one," Another little boy asked.

"Are you a monster Mr. Purple Ninja?" Another little girl asked.

"No no. I'm not a monssster. I helped to sssave Aeroplane, and I protect people. I don't want to hurt anyone," Meir replied.

"Oooohhh," the children said in unison.

"Hey -Gasp-" A woman said, as she and a group of people, mostly parents of the kids, approached the children and Meir.

Meir took a step back, as he could sense a sudden tension in the air. He was able to recognize that tension, as the parents quickly gathered their kids, and they stood looking at him for a moment, with widened eyes.

'_Fear,_' Meir thought, realizing that the people were afraid of him.

"Pleasssse, hear my out," Meir said, but he stressed the 's' to reveal his serpent tongue and fangs, as the crowd of adults gasped.

"What is that?" One of the adult guys asked.

"It's jusssst me," Meir replied, as he took a step forward, while the parents stood back.

"What are you?" One of the adult ladies asked.

"I am Meir," Meir replied.

"Are you human..." an elderly man asked, as he took a step forward and added, "Or are you a Monster?!"

The crowd gasped again.

"There hasn't been a monster up here in so many years," a woman said.

"And now that one has come, we may all be doomed! He may not have come alone!" the elderly man said, as the crowd gasped again and took a few steps back.

"No no, you've got it all wrong. I'm not a monssster, and no othersss have followed me," Meir said, trying to convince the fear-stricken crowd of his innocence.

"But they may come now. The beasts below may come up, knowing that a similar creature like you was able to get here!" The elderly man said.

"I told you, I'm not a monssster, at all," Meir said.

"Then what are you?" The elderly man asked.

Meir thought about it for a moment, as he ran his hand through his hair.

'_What am I?_' Meir thought.

"Well?" The elderly man asked, as he took a step back.

Meir tried to think of an answer, but then he replied, "I don't know."

"Then how can you say your not a monster if you don't even know what you are?!" The elderly man asked.

"Mommy, he's not a monster, he is nice," the little girl told her mother.

"Yeah. He's not bad. I think he's cool," the little boy said.

"He's corrupting the minds of the children! He _is_ a monster!" The elderly man said in fright, and then he ran away.

Most of the parents were really scared now, as they grabbed their kids and ran. The few that remained held their children close to themselves as they left.

"No! Wait!" Meir called, as the people were running and some were screaming.

'_No... no no no! I'm not..._' Meir thought, as his eyes began to moisten.

"Hey Meir! Is that you?!" A familiar voice called, as Meir turned to see Rai coming towards him from a distance.

"What's going on? Why is everyone running?" Rai asked Meir, as he approached him.

"Sssstay away," Meir said, as he turned from Rai, who looked at him in confusion.

"What's the matter dude?" Rai asked, as he continued walking towards Meir.

"No! Pleasssse, just sssstay away. I don't want to causssse you any more trouble," Meir said.

"Why are you hissing every 's' sound? Come on dude, tell me what's wrong?" Rai asked, as he placed one hand on Meir's shoulder and turned him towards him.

Rai released Meir's shoulder and looked at him in surprise to see the serpent teeth and tongue.

"What the... what's this Meir? Your a hybrid or something?" Rai asked.

"I-I... I jusssst don't know!" Meir replied, and then he turned and ran off.

"Meir wait! Let's talk dude!" Rai called out, but then Meir summoned his Silver dragon and flew off.

Lloyd and Raven followed after Meir, as he was heading towards another Mountain village.

"... Raven," Lloyd said, and Raven looked toward him.

"Did... did you ever feel like that? Like you didn't know what you were?" Lloyd asked.

Raven thought about it, and she replied, "I questioned myself one time when we were trying to save Lucy, but you helped me with that."

Lloyd nodded, recalling that moment, and he asked, "How about when you first ran away from home?"

Raven replied, "Well, I didn't question my own identity, but I could relate to how he feels because some people were afraid of me. But some of them were nice and they didn't care about what I was. Like that one woman I met... Lorena is her name. She actually took me in and let me stay with her for a few days, until the Viporeans came closer to her house. I remember her well because her hair was so long."

"So you understand him," Lloyd said, and Raven nodded.

"He was right when we first met... about us being alike," Raven said, as she looked downward.

"But your still different," Lloyd said, which comforted Raven, as she looked up at him and smiled.

Lloyd and Raven looked ahead, and they realized that Meir had already entered the next village. They quickly flew down into the village, and they saw that Meir stood before a group of people, as they were curiously examining him.

"How strange... how peculiar? A man born with fangs and a tongue like a serpent. It's a rare phenomenon," Micheal, the science guy of the village, said.

"Rare? How would you know? You just heard of this," a village woman said.

"Exactly. It's so rare that I have just heard of it," Micheal said, as the other villagers signed.

"If you don't mind Meir, can I have a blood sample from your mouth?" Micheal asked, as he pulled out a syringe from his backpack that he carried.

"Wha- No you can't!" Meir replied, as he stepped back.

"Are you kidding me Micheal?! He's not one of your experiments to study," the village woman said.

"Well he's not fully human, so why is it wrong?" Micheal asked.

Then a village guy grabbed Micheal by his collar and said, "He may not be fully human, but he is _still_ a person. How dare you make that excuse!"

Micheal responded, "I'm just saying. He's neither fully human nor beast. Where does he belong then? With us? With the beasts below? Which laws of human or beast apply to him? Should he be treated as a human or beast by us? By the beasts below? Answer me that."

The people stood quiet, trying to think of an answer, while Meir stood with his head lowered, as his hair covered his face.

"I say we first examine him, to see if he is fit to be with our kind," Micheal said.

"He's not an experiment, and how can he not fit with us? It's not like he's trying to hurt us," the village woman said.

"You mean eat us?" Micheal said, as the village guy slapped Micheal over the head.

"Ouch!" Micheal said, as he hit face-first onto the ground.

Then a swift wind was felt, as the village people looked up to see that Meir was flying away on his Silver dragon.

"You jerk," the village guy said to Micheal.

"What did _I_ do?" Micheal asked, as he spit out dirt.

"Was that Meir?" Peter asked, as he just came over to the group of village people.

"Yes that was, sir. But he left since Micheal wanted to take a blood sample from him," the village guy said, as Peter looked at him, questionably.

As the people were informing Peter of what happened, Meir was flying away pretty quickly, as a single tear rolled off of his cheek.

"Where do I belong? My human-ssside wouldn't be accepted by other beasstsss, and my beasst-ssside isssn't accepted by humansss... then where do I belong…?" Meir thought out loud, as he started flying lower and his Silver dragon was starting to fade away.

Lloyd and Raven continued to follow Meir downward, as he descended to the ground in front of the bottom of a cliff. The Silver dragon faded back into him, as Meir started to walk alongside the cliff wall.

"Akemi..." Meir whispered.

Then he looked upward and added,

"Would you sssstill love me...?"

Meir continued to walk, as he kept his head downward in sadness, until he turned a corner. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw a corpse made of bones surrounded by a black, charred-like, substance that was in a splattered shape.

Meir stood a foot away from the bones and substance, as he examined it. The bones were in the shape of a large, lizard-like creature that fell on it's back. The eyes were still there though, and they were fully white. The black substance was all over its bones, and it was almost seeping into the ground and cliff wall.

"Thisss isss... a grundal," Meir speculated, as he walked a few steps closer to the dead creature.

Then, Meir noticed a smudge of the black substance on the boney cheek of the Grundal, as if someone had touched it. When Meir touched that same spot with his hand, his eyes immediately glowed silver as he saw a vision. Lloyd and Raven were wondering what he was seeing, so they reached out and touched his shoulders to see if something would happen.

Indeed it did, and Lloyd and Raven were able to see what Meir was seeing:

It was Meir's father, Yahto, who first found the Grundal corpse and touched it's cheek in curiosity as to what the black substance was. After rubbing it around his fingers to look at it, Yahto dismissed it as nothing, and then he left. Some of the substance got on his clothing, as he washed his hand near a nearby pond. But Yahto didn't realize that the pond turned dark and that after he left, the fish in the pond died.

Lloyd and Raven were pushed back, as Meir snapped out of the vision. He held his hand in surprise, as Lloyd and Raven waited for his reaction.

"This stuff... is corrupted..." Meir said, as he quickly ran to a clean river stream and washed his hand outside of the river so that it wouldn't ruin the water.

He also checked his clothes and saw that they were clean.

"But it's more like a poison-" Meir said, as his eyes widened and he remembered his mother.

"Mother... She was sick! After father came home that week and left again, she got sick... he came here before..." Meir was thinking out loud, as his eyes watered and he trembled.

"No... NO! Father... I-It's... It's YOUR FAULT!" Meir collapsed to the ground on his hands and knees, as he pounded the ground with his fist.

"It was your FAULT! YOUR FAULT! Your FEAR made you come down here! Your FEAR is the reason why I don't have my mother! The people's fear is what kept you away, and kept you down here! This wouldn't have happened if ALL of you weren't Afraid of NOTHING!" Meir shouted, as tears poured down his eyes.

Then something snapped in Meir, as he cried, and his pupils flickered red, on and off. After awhile, Meir slowly stood up on his feet, while tears still stained his cheeks and his hair covered his eyes.

"They're all afraid... of nothing..." Meir whispered, as he sensed a familiar presence some distance away, and then he started heading towards it.

Lloyd and Raven followed, as they looked at one another in worry of what was going to happen next.

**Prepare yourselves for the next chapter...**


	106. Chapter 106 Culpability

Yahto was wandering the forest after Meir left. He was taking the time to rethink what had just occurred between his son and himself, and he felt bad about it.

'_He was right... I had no right to with hold the truth from him for so long,_' Yahto thought, as he felt that something was approaching him.

Yahto turned towards whoever was coming, while in his human-form, ready to change if he had to. However, Yahto didn't change when he saw Meir emerge from behind some bushes.

"Meir," Yahto called, as he quickly walked towards his son and hugged him.

"I'm sorry Meir. I should have told you the truth sooner. That was my error, and I take responsibility for it. I'm sorry my son. I hope that I can make it up to you," Yahto said, as he pulled back from the hug to look at Meir.

Meir looked up at father, and he smiled and said, "Thanks dad. I understand why your afraid, but I'm sorry for being a jerk before."

Yahto chuckled and said, "Me and you both."

Yahto and Meir gave each other a hug. Yet, before breaking the hug, Meir said,

"Thank you for telling me who I am... and for telling me how people are."

Yahto frowned and said, "I'm sorry that you had to find out that way."

"No, its okay father. I found out much more than I thought, like..." Meir trailed off, as Yahto felt something cold and sharp pierce his abdomen while he gasped.

"How YOUR the reason why mom isn't around anymore," Meir said, as he stepped back from Yahto, while holding a blade in his father's chest.

"S-Son... w-why?" Yahto asked, as he wheezed.

"Your fear is what made you come down here to hide your serpent-form. When you touched the black substance on the Grundal's bones, you ended up getting some of it on your clothes for standing too close to it, not realizing that it was poisonous to all besides me and you," Meir said, while Yahto was surprised at how Meir knew that.

"I actually made sure that my hands and clothes were clean, but you didn't. So when you came home, you not only brought some of it with you... you also brought it to mom, who wasn't immune to it like me and you," Meir said, anger rising, as Yahto's eyes widened in realization to what he had done.

"M-My love... My d-dear sweet..." Yahto said, as tears were streaming down his cheeks at this realization.

"Don't cry father... you'll see mother again soon," Meir said with a stoic expression.

Then he pulled back the blade from his father, as Yahto slowly fell to his knees.

"M-Meir... Don't..." Yahto wheezed, and then he laid his body on the ground, as he became still.

Meir turned around and walked away from his father, as he passed by the bushes. After walking a few more steps, Meir came to a sudden stop as he shakily looked at the blade that he held. His eyes widened as he dropped the blade to the ground and stepped away from it, fearfully, as he bumped into a tree behind him. He held onto the tree, as his legs grew weak and slightly wobbly. Then he turned and laid his forehead on the tree, as he sobbed from what he had done.

Lloyd was nearly petrified when he saw Meir slay his own father, as he reminiscent a time when that seemed like the only way to stop his own father. Raven held onto Lloyd tightly, as she buried her face into his shoulder, and trembled as she cried.

When he could move again, Lloyd held onto Raven as he floated ahead to see Meir. He gasped when he saw Meir crying from what he had done.

When Raven gathered her composure, she turned forward as she held onto Lloyd's hand tighter with her own.

Then, when Meir calmed down, he started walking away, passing by the blade on the ground. He felt a heavy weight on his heart, as he clutched his hand near his chest.

"Why... Why would I feel guilt... when it was his fault... why should I feel guilt for what he created?" Meir asked himself, referring to himself as what was 'created.'

Then one of Meir's eyes flickered on and off red, as he continued walking towards a certain direction.


	107. Chapter 107 Mire

Then a lone blue wave ran across the world around Raven and Lloyd, as it changed their surroundings and they were back at Aeroplane.

"Weird. That was only one wave," Lloyd said.

"Hm... we probably moved to a different location besides time," Raven said, as she noticed that the sun wasn't very far off from where it was a moment ago.

"There's Akemi," Lloyd said, as he pointed towards the First Green ninja, who stood near where the ramp was, waiting for Meir to return.

Lloyd and Raven slowly approached Akemi, as they saw her walking around aimlessly, as she was observing the sky starting to change color. She signed, as she looked toward the city.

Then she felt a familiar breeze coming from behind her, and she turned around to see Meir.

"My love, your back," Akemi said, as she quickly made her way to Meir and hugged him, as he slowly hugged her back.

"You've been gone for most of the day, but I still missed you," Akemi said, as she hugged him tighter.

"Akemi," Meir nearly whispered, as Akemi could hear, in the tone of his voice, that something was wrong.

She pulled back as she looked at Meir, and asked, in concern, "What's wrong darling?"

Meir didn't say anything for a moment, and then he replied, "I found out what I am..."

Akemi tilted her head slightly in confusion, and asked, "What do you mean?"

Meir replied, "I'm the ssson of a Black Mambian, a half sssserpent, half human perssson."

Akemi gasped in surprise to see Meir's serpent tongue and fangs, but she was also very intrigued.

"Wow... this is extraordinary. Why didn't you tell me sooner Meir?" Akemi said, as she examined his mouth, and Meir looked at her in surprise.

"Y-Your not afraid?" Meir asked.

"Afraid? Why would I be afraid? Your just a little different is all. This doesn't change the fact that I love you," Akemi said with a smile, as Meir's eyes softened.

Akemi pulled away from Meir as she thought about something, while Meir stood watching her and thought,

'_She really loves me... my Akemi... what have I done...'_

Meir held his head, as he thought about his recent action, but then he heard his own voice say in his mind,

'_But he deserved it. He wanted to keep you trapped... but now your free. Free to be you, and to be with Akemi._'

'_Yes... that's right... right?_' Meir thought, and then Akemi turned to him and said,

"I'm not bothered by this, and I'm sure my parents won't... but now that I think about it... eh, I'm sure everyone will be fine with it too. After all, you _did_ save everyone before."

Akemi reached out and grabbed Meir's hand, as she tried to lead him towards the city.

'_Why would they accept you? Your still a monster, but now you have blood on your hands,'_ his voice spoke in a darker tone in Meir's mind, as he stopped walking.

"What's wrong?" Akemi asked, when she felt that Meir stopped walking.

"Would they accept me? Aren't I no different than the monsssters below usss?" Meir asked.

Akemi gasped and said, "Meir, your not a monster, and your certainly not like the ones below us. There are mostly bestial creatures down there who would hurt people, and some hurt their own kind. But your not like that. You have something in you that they don't have, and that's light. Your a good man Meir, and the best husband in the whole world."

Meir halfheartedly smiled, as he took his other hand and gently stroked Akemi's cheek.

"Your the bessst wife in the whole world, my darling. Nothing would ever change that fact with me," Meir said, as Akemi smiled at him.

After gazing into each others' eyes for a moment, Meir and Akemi moved closer as they exchanged a kiss.

However, after a moment during this exchange, Akemi sensed something strange within Meir, and then her eyes flashed in gold. When her eyes returned to normal, Akemi pulled away from Meir, as she looked at him in shock, while Meir looked at her in surprise.

"What'sss the matter?" Meir asked, in concern.

"Meir... w-why... why?" Akemi asked, as her voice trembled.

"Why what?" Meir asked.

"W-W... Why did you kill your father?!" Akemi blurted out, as Meir's eyes widened and his skin grew pale.

"... H-How do you know?" Meir asked, as he took a step back.

"I-I saw it. I saw it when we kissed just now... oh, Meir, what happened? Why would you do that?" Akemi asked, as her eyes started to water.

Meir felt the weight on his heart again, as he tried to explain the situation to Akemi,

"I-I... he never told me what I wasss. He wasss too afraid to tell me or anyone elssse besssides my mother what we were. I never knew why he wasss gone thosse timesss, and I always worried about him when he wass perfectly fine the whole time! And... and..."

"And what?" Akemi asked, in a soft voice.

Meir closed his eyes and looked away, feeling a pang in his heart, and then he looked back at Akemi and replied,

"He'sss the reasson why my mother iss gone! He came home one time without realizing that there wasss a poissonous ssubsstance on hisss clothess! We were immune to it, but my mother wassn't... that'ss why she got ssick and died... it was _hisss _fault."

Tears started streaming down Meir's cheeks, as Akemi looked at him with sympathy, and some empathy since she knew Meir's mother. A few tears started to fall down her cheeks, as she walked closer to Meir, and placed her hands on the sides of his head.

"Meir, I can see your distress... I can see your pain... I can even see your regret... I can understand why you did what you did, but that was _not_ the way you should have handled that. Why didn't you come here to me? We could have talked, and then we could have talked to your dad together," Akemi asked.

Meir looked downward and replied, "I don't know why I didn't come to you firsst, but I lost ssso much because of hisss fear that I didn't want to losse anything preciouss to me anymore... I lost time with him, worried so much over him, lost my mother, and even my true identity for mosst of my life... I didn't want sssomething else to happen I... I..."

Meir stood silent, as Akemi released him, and turned around to think about what he just said.

'_I was... I was..._' Meir thought, and then his own dark voice spoke to him again and said,  
'_You were afraid... just like your father... Who would have thought that fear would have taken over you like that... but you ARE your father's son..._'

Meir started to tremble, as more tears poured down his eyes, and he placed his hand on his forehead.

'_I'm no different... I'm no different than a monster... I AM a monster... a horrible monster...'_ Meir thought, as he clutched his hair in the hand that was on his head.

'_You mean... WE are a monster..._' His dark voice whispered, although Meir was in too much distress to think about it.

"You need to go Meir," Akemi said, as Meir looked up at her in surprise, while removing his hand and releasing his hair.

"W-What?" Meir asked.

Akemi turned to Meir and held his hands, as she said,

"You need time to sort yourself out. You need to be alone for awhile. Go to an empty mountain plain and stay there. I'll give the leaders and everyone else an excuse for your absence, and then when the leaders leave I'll head straight to you. We can sort this out together without anyone else knowing-"

"It's too late for the latter," a voice said, as Meir and Akemi quickly turned to see Elder Vidur standing about ten feet away from them.

"Elder Vidur," Akemi said in surprise.

"How much did you hear?" Meir asked, nervously.

"When Akemi asked why you killed Yahto. I came here to talk to you Meir because I received an express letter from Rai and Peter asking if you were okay, but I can see now that you aren't," Elder Vidur said, as he slowly approached them.

"What are you going to do?" Akemi asked, as she and Meir let go of each others' hands.

"-Sign- Well, with a heavy heart, I must ask for you Meir... to leave and not return. You are to be banished from Aeroplane. That is the law," Elder Vidur said, with sadness in his voice.

Akemi gasped, while Meir's eyes widened in surprise.

"But Elder Vidur, he needs help with this. He shouldn't just be banished, he needs help and someone to talk to. That's why I want to help him," Akemi said.

"I understand Akemi, but I must follow the law. He has to be banished from Aeroplane. If you wish to visit him, I will allow it, but it can't be long considering that you are still the protector of Aeroplane. And Meir... I'm very sorry my friend," Elder Vidur said, sadly.

Akemi's tears started to pour down her eyes, as she said, "B-But... I can't just leave him alone... H-He still needs me..."

"I'm sorry Akemi," Elder Vidur said.

Akemi could no longer contain her sorrow, as she placed her hands on her face and sobbed.

"Akemi," Meir called her, as he tried to reach out to her.

However, Elder Vidur stood in front of him with his staff and said, in a caring tone, "Please Meir, let her be. You've done enough."

Then Akemi turned and ran off, as she summoned her Golden dragon and flew towards the temple.

"Akemi..." Meir whispered, as he watched her fly away, while his heart broke in half.

"Go now Meir. While you still have the chance," Elder Vidur said.

Meir lowered his head, while his hair covered his eyes, as he thought,

'_I... lost... everything... my mom, my dad... and now I'm losing Akemi... I've lost everything... everything..._

_But why should I?_

_Is it really my fault that I've been lied too? Is it really my fault that those people treated me like a monster, an experiment? Seriously?! Is it really my fault that my life was a lie?_

_Is it really my fault that Akemi is suffering even worse now because Elder Vidur banished me? Because that's the laws of this land? Of these freaking people?_

_Trying to take the last light in my life... Akemi...'_

Lloyd and Raven were able to hear what Meir was thinking in that moment.

"Meir?" Elder Vidur asked, and then he gasped when Meir looked up at him while his pupils were red.

"You _dare_ to stand between me and the love of my life? To take away the last gleam of light from my now miserable life?" Meir asked in a dark tone, as his expression was dark and serious.

"You did that on your own Meir, but I'm not trying to stand between both of you. I'm trying to help you by _only_ banishing you from Aeroplane. But I can see that your losing stability... Go Meir! Don't make this harder for her or yourself. Just stay away!" Elder Vidur said, as he held his staff with both hands.

After a short moment of silence, Meir lowered his head, as a low chuckle escaped his lips. Elder Vidur squinted his eyes in suspicion to what Meir was going to do. Then Meir looked up at Elder Vidur, with his pupils still red, and said,

"If I'm the Purple ninja, with amazing and powerful abilities... then why am I still listening to you?"

Elder Vidur gasped, as Meir brought his hand up and shot a dark purple ball of energy at him, and went flying into a wall. Then Meir turned and started walking towards the city. Elder Vidur slowly picked himself up from the wall, as he was coughing, and said,

"W-What? I didn't think h-he would… h-he must be stopped…"


	108. Chapter 108 First Truculence

"He snapped," Lloyd said, as he and Raven watched Meir walking towards the city.

"Losing Akemi was his final trigger," Raven said.

"Where is Akemi now? Isn't she supposed to stop him?" Lloyd asked.

"Let's go find her, quickly," Raven said, and Lloyd nodded in agreement.

The two quickly flew straight for the temple, as they entered the building.

"These weapons are pretty cool," Kaage said, as he waved his Platinum scimitar.

"Yes. I can feel the power within the weapons linking with my own," Belia said, as she looked at her Platinum shurikens.

"They're amazing!" Rai said, as he swirled his Platinum nunchunks in the air.

"Careful that you don't knock your face out," Adara said, as she was examining her Platinum sword.

"Extraordinary indeed," Nami said, as she examined the orb on her Platinum Staff.

"Interesting," Lerato said, as he was looking at the Platinum Gauntlets on his hands.

"Hm... I can fight, and keep cool," Makani said, as she fanned herself with her Platinum Fans.

"Nice," Peter said, as he looked at his reflection through the blade of his Platinum scythe.

"These weapons belong to you guys until you can master your powers. Of course, you may be able to keep them since your the only ones who can really use them," Garen said.

"That's nice, but where are Akemi and Meir? Aren't they supposed to help us too?" Adara asked.

"I'm not sure if Meir is going to come. He seemed out of it when I saw him in my village," Rai said.

"You saw him? Then you must have seen his fangs and tongue right?" Peter asked Rai.

"Yeah I did. It was weird, but pretty cool. Although, I don't think he thinks the same way," Rai replied.

"Fangs? What are you two talking about?" Adara asked.

"Meir came to your villages?" Belia asked.

As Peter and Rai described what happened with Meir to the other Leaders, Garen was concerned about where Elder Vidur, Akemi, and Meir were. Then he heard light mumbling in the next room behind the curtain, as he turned and entered the room.

This smaller room was where the staircase to the basement used to be. The room had Platinum stone walls, and a white ceiling and gray ground. There was a green carpet with purple trimming that led from the center of the flat wall where the entrance is on one side, to the center of the round wall on the other side. However, on the round side stood two stands; one of silver and one of gold, that stood about a foot away from each other. On the Silver stand stood a glowing purple orb, while on the Golden stand stood a glowing green orb. Garen noticed that a few of the temple guard ladies were in the room, while Akemi stood sitting on a step that was made around the stands, while covering her face with her hands and sobbing.

Lloyd and Raven entered the room, as they were somewhat surprised to see Akemi, but they gasped when they saw the two orbs.

"T-The Viporean Pearl- I mean, the Purple Ninja's orb!" Raven said, when she recognized the small purple orb.

Then they both looked at the green orb, which was similar to the Purple Ninja's orb.

"Raven... is that green orb what I think it is?" Lloyd asked her.

"I think it is Lloyd... I think it's the Green Ninja's orb. It looks like the Purple Ninja's," Raven said.

"But if there was a Green Ninja's orb, where is it?" Lloyd asked, and Raven shook her head, not knowing.

"Akemi? You were here the whole time... What happened? What's wrong?" Garen asked, as he stood a few feet away from Akemi since she was still crying.

Jetta, who wore a hood that covered her eyes and had her hand on Akemi's shoulder replied,

"Meir has done something terrible, but before Akemi could help him, Elder Vidur found out and he got involved. Now Meir is to be banished to the land below, and Akemi may not be able to see him often enough to help him."

"What? What did he do?" Garen asked, while Jetta turned her head away from him and replied,

"His father had been slayed by his son's blade."

After a moment of thinking it over, Garen gasped and said, "What?! Why?!"

"Vengeance," Jetta replied and added, "But I fear that this will take a heavier toll on Meir's heart than just the guilt of his actions."

Garen looked towards the weeping Akemi with sadness, and he signed. Then he said,

"I'm sorry Akemi... wait, I have to inform the other Leaders. They were already discussing Meir's strange behavior when he went to Peter and Rai's villages."

Garen quickly left the room to inform the other Leaders, while the three temple guard ladies focused their attention back on Akemi.

Then Lloyd and Raven decided to leave the temple to find Meir.

"Let's see what he's been doing," Lloyd said, and Raven nodded.

After flying around Aeroplane, Lloyd and Raven found Meir, as he was slowly walking through the streets of Aeroplane, heading towards the temple. Lloyd and Raven moved a little closer to Meir, as they noticed that his pupils were still red, although his hair was mostly over his eyes.

"Hey Meir! I mean, Purple Ninja, you came back," a random dude said, as he stood a few feet in front of Meir, as other people walking around looked towards him.

"..." Meir didn't say anything, as he stopped walking.

"Hey, dude, are you okay?" The random dude asked Meir, as he stepped closer to him.

"..." Meir still didn't speak, as the people watching them were growing curious.

"Hey, what's the matter? Snake got your tongue?" The random dude asked.

Then the random dude started choking as Meir grabbed his neck with one hand, while the other people around gasped. Meir lifted his head up, as his hair moved away from his eyes to reveal his red pupils, and he said,

"Ssssomething like that."

Then Meir released the random dude's neck, as he quickly moved his other hand and used wind to blow the man out of his way. Two people caught the dude before he hit a wall. The people looked at Meir in nervousness, as he closed his eyes. Then Meir lifted his hands halfway up, as dark silver energy charged up in his hands with smoke rising up, as the people gasped and stepped back. Meir opened his eyes and he looked around at the people, as a devious grin began to form on his face.

"Run cowardss," Meir said, and then the people started running away while screaming.

"... Heh heh... Ha ha... Hahaha... Hahahahaha. Ah hahahahahahaha! HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Meir laughed, as his eyes fully changed red.

"No..." Raven whispered, as she held onto Lloyd's arm.

"He's Darkness now," Lloyd said, as he placed his free hand on Raven's hand.

'_I'll blow them away... I'll blow them __**all**__ away. Then there will be no law, and Akemi and I can be together... forever,_' Meir thought, although Lloyd and Raven were able to hear that thought.

Then Meir shot a beam of dark silver at the top of one of the buildings and cut a chunk of it off. As the chunk fell off and crashed onto the ground, Meir shot a ball of dark silver at another building, as it blew up in front of it and the whole wall came crumbling down. The people in the building started running, as a guy in a bathtub opened his eyes and screamed in high pitched terror as he grabbed a towel and covered himself to run away.

As Meir laughed and continued to attack the buildings, he didn't notice that a group of people were sneaking over towards him. Then, when Meir threw a ball of dark water at a man and woman who fell over, Nami jumped in front of it, and redirected the attack upward with her staff. The man and woman got up and continued running after saying thank you to Nami.

Meir arched an eyebrow when he saw Nami, and then he half-closed his eyes when the other Leaders jumped out and stood a few feet away from him.

"Meir! What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?" Lerato asked.

"Why are you attacking everyone? What did they do to you?" Makani asked.

"It's not like_ they_ lied and hurt you," Kaage said.

"... so you all know?" Meir asked, with a stoic expression.

"Yes Meir. We do, and we want to help you," Nami said.

Meir chuckled and said, "Do you guys really think that you can help me now? I already slayed my father and am banished from Aeroplane by Vidur. I also got him out of my way just like how I'm going to get this city and it's people out of my way!"

The Leaders gasped.

"Meir don't! We know that your not normal like us, but it doesn't make a difference," Peter said.

"Yeah man. Your not any less human than the rest of us. We still like you," Rai added.

"Your sudden burst of insanity is understandable, but just calm down and we can talk about this," Belia said.

"All we want to do is talk Meir," Adara said.

After a moment of silence, Meir smirked and said, "If that was the case, then why did you all bring your weapons... drawn?"

"We only brought them because we just got them. We didn't come to fight," Lerato said.

"Heh heh heh. But I do," Meir said, as he charged more dark silver energy into his arms.

The Leaders looked at one another in surprise, while Lerato looked downward and signed. Then the leaders looked towards Lerato for a decision, as he glanced towards them, and then he looked forward. He looked at Meir more intensely, as Meir smiled more devious and anxiously at him.

"Fine then. You want a fight? Then we'll give you one! Maybe then you'll see the light!" Lerato said, as he curled his hands wearing the Gauntlets into fist while they were glowing yellow.

The other Mountain leaders readied themselves to fight, as their weapons started glowing their own colors too.

"Or maybe you'll see the dark... and tremble!" Meir shouted, as he ran forward, while the Mountain leaders jumped at him.


	109. Chapter 109 Wistful Encounter

Lloyd and Raven were watching this turn of events, and they wondered where Akemi was, since they knew that she played a role in Darkness being 'defeated.' They quickly flew back to the temple to see how Akemi was doing.

They entered the temple and went straight to the room where Akemi was. Garen had returned to the room, but he and Jetta were standing back with the other temple guards, as Akemi stood in front of the green orb.

"Akemi. I could see him from here. He's lost his mind. He's attacking innocent people now. I'm not sure if the Mountain leaders can stop him. I'm worried that they won't, and I'm especially worried for Prince Lerato. Please Akemi. Your the only one who's power rivals his," Garen said, almost pleading, as Akemi thought about what he said while stroking the Green Ninja orb.

"Can I have a moment alone? Please?" Akemi asked.

Before Garen could protest, Jetta grabbed his hand, as she led the other Temple guards out of the room.

When they were gone, Akemi picked up her orb with both hands and gazed at its glowing green center. At this point, Lloyd and Raven were able to hear her thoughts saying,

'_Oh Meir, my love. Your heart is broken, and now darkness is seeping inside. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but I will do what I must for you, and for the next two... but if he escapes, I need to protect them. I can't let him find them so easily... I have to do this..._'

Then Akemi concentrated Golden energy into her orb, as it started to glow golden and light green. She placed the orb back on it's stand, as she looked towards the Purple orb. She quickly ran upstairs, as she grabbed an empty scroll and wrote a message onto it. Then she went back into the Orb room, as she placed the scroll next to the Purple Ninja's orb.

Akemi took a slow breath in and out, and then she left the room.

Outside, the Temple guards stood in front of the temple, as they saw sparks flying a few buildings away, and heard crashing and yelling. When they heard a creak behind them, they turned around to see Akemi stepping outside and walking just passed them.

"Akemi, Will you be okay?" Garen asked.

Without turning towards him, Akemi replied, "Don't worry about me. Just get the people to safety."

Garen nodded and said, to the Temple guards, "Split up and lead the people away from harm!"

The Temple guards made no delay, as they scattered.

"You really took charge Garen. I'm proud of you," Elder Vidur said, as he limped closer from their left side.

"Elder Vidur!" Garen called, as he ran towards his mentor and helped him walked closer to the temple so that he could sit down.

"What happened Elder Vidur?" Garen asked, when Elder Vidur sat down.

Akemi turned towards him, as she noticed that the front of his robe was damaged.

"I tried to reason with him so that he could go peacefully, but he didn't want to go. He said that I was standing between him and Akemi, and he blamed everyone else here too. He attacked me afterward and left," Elder Vidur said.

"He actually attacked you?" Garen asked.

"He said that if he was the Purple ninja, with amazing power and abilities, why would he have to listen to me anymore? That's when he attacked. He's losing himself..." Elder Vidur said, as he signed and added, "and it's all my fault."

Garen looked at him in surprise, as Akemi turned more towards him.

"I should have let you handle the situation Akemi. You knew what you were doing. You were immediately assessing the situation perfectly. I should have had more faith in you, and let you handle him. But I got involved, thinking that it was the only way to really help him. I should have left it to you. I'm so sorry Akemi, and to him too," Elder Vidur said, as his eyes started to water.

Then Akemi knelt down next to Elder Vidur and said, "Thank you for your apology, but don't blame yourself so much. I wouldn't want you to live in guilt and regret forever. Besides, you only meant to help, not hurt."

Akemi patted Elder Vidur's shoulder with a little smile, and then she stood up and started walking away.

"Where are you going, Green ninja?" Elder Vidur asked.

"To stop Meir," Akemi replied, as she quickly summoned her Golden dragon and flew off.

"Will she be okay?" Garen asked.

"I'm sure she has a plan. I believe and trust her," Elder Vidur replied, and Garen nodded in agreement.

Lloyd and Raven followed after Akemi, as they came closer to the battle that was ensuing between Meir and the Leaders. Akemi looked downward, as she saw that Lerato was kneeling on the ground panting, while Meir was slowly approaching him, with dark silver charging up into a ball on his hand. Akemi dismissed her dragon, as she fell down so that she would land in front of Lerato.

Below:

"Oh poor Lerato, how sad it must be for you? I've taken down the others and now your by yourself, all alone. I guess you have an idea on how I feel," Meir taunted, as he laughed afterward.

Lerato quickly looked around, and he saw that the other Mountain leaders weren't in great shape: Peter, Rai, Adara, and Kaage were half-conscious on the ground, while Belia, Makani, and Nami were dizzy and could barely stand up.

He looked up at Meir and replied, "Well, at least I don't have a guilty conscious, knowing that I made my only family suffer."

Meir looked at Lerato with shuttered eyes and growled at him, as he shot the dark silver energy ball at him.

"Bye bye Lerato," Meir said, as he laughed.

But before Lerato was shot, the ball of dark silver was deflected upward. The others looked upward, as the half-conscious ones were finally waking up, and Meir also looked up. Then Meir looked forward and his eyes widened when he saw Akemi standing guard before Lerato.

"Stay back," Akemi told Lerato, as he nodded and stood up slowly in pain as he quickly walked away.

After Lerato and the other Leaders stood a good distance back, Akemi and Meir stood looking at one another. Then Akemi started walking towards Meir, as she stood a foot away from him.

"Meir," she started and continued, "please... don't do this. Don't destroy yourself and everyone around you. Please. Give up this madness before it consumes you. Your stronger than this Meir. I know you."

Meir didn't respond immediately, as Akemi gently brushed her hand down the side of his face. His face showed no emotion, but pain and anger in his eyes, as Akemi looked at him with sorrow in her eyes. Then Meir slowly grasped Akemi's hand and said,

"I am the ssson of a Black Mambian, and I am the Purple ninja. I am also your husband, who will always love you forever. But this world and these people are trying to keep us apart. The laws of this world are what keep monsters below, and people above. That's why I'm going to get rid of both sides of this world, above and below. Without either one, there will be nothing to stand between me and you. Then we can truly be together, my love."

"We can be together now Meir. Let's go. Away from here, away from Aeroplane, away from the mountain villages, away from everyone! Let's just go, and then we can be together. I can help you get better, and then we can always be together without anyone to bother us! Just leave everyone at peace, my darling. There's no need to break the whole world for me," Akemi said, as everyone watched anxiously for Meir's reaction.

Meir closed his eyes and thought about it, but then he started to chuckle. Akemi took one step back when she saw that, since she could feel that something wasn't right. Then Meir said,

"Oh my darling. You do know me... but I know you too. Your heart would suffer every moment, knowing that your parents and close friends were so far away and yet you'll never be able to see them. I wouldn't want you to suffer like that my love, especially since Aeroplane is our home."

Akemi looked downward, knowing that he was right.

"I'll keep Aeroplane afloat, but I'll have to get rid of the residents, unless they agree to be my servants or something, then I'll let them live. How's that darling?" Meir asked.

"No... No! You can't do that Meir. I won't let you hurt anyone! I know you well enough that hurting others will hurt you more!" Akemi said.

"Oh my dear Akemi..." Meir said, and then his eyes shot open to reveal red eyes with burgundy pupils, as he added, "I'm not the same weakling I was before... I won't let _anyone_ stand in my way. I have the power to change our fate, and that's what I'm going to do."

Black and red energy accumulated around Meir's hands, as he had a dark grin on his face, and he reached one hand towards Akemi and asked,

"Shall you come with me, my love? Shall you be by my side as I rid this world of lies, laws, and those who would **dare **to come between us? Shall we be together and love one another forever, my darling wife?"

Akemi looked at Meir in shock, although her expression wasn't so expressive of it. The Leaders watched in shock and surprise, as they waited for Akemi's response. After a moment to think it over, Akemi breathed in and out, as she walked closer to Meir and stood a few inches away from his face. Meir's eyes widened a bit, as his expression became a little more surprised and attentive to his wife. Akemi's eyebrows furrowed, as a determination was present in her eyes, and she replied,

"Meir... the only one standing between me and you... is you... because I will NOT let you hurt anyone, not even yourself. I won't let you continue on the path that your on. Not while I can help it."

Akemi's hands began to emit golden-green energy, as she and Meir had a short stare down. The Leaders took further steps back, as some of them gulped.

Meir looked at Akemi with shuddered eyes and said, "Alright love. I can see that you've made up your mind... but that won't stop me from trying to change it, especially if there isn't a world to protect anymore."

Akemi snickered and said, "There will always be something, or someone to protect."

Meir chuckled, and added, "Such a bold and wise woman you are Akemi... another reason why I love you so."

Akemi looked at Meir with shuddered eyes, and added, "Such a daring and determined man you are Meir... another reason why I'd never stop loving you."

Meir and Akemi exchanged small smiles, knowing that it may be the only moment of kindness they would be able to show one another for a while. Then they both became serious, as they jumped back from one another, in fighting stances.

"The Green Ninja versus the Purple Ninja," Rai whispered.

"Who would win?" Adara whispered, while the others backed up more.


	110. Chapter 110 Analogous Grief

Then the battle began.

Meir and Akemi were fighting one another with head-on beam attacks at first, deflecting or canceling out the others' attack. Then they charged their arms and feet, as they fought hand-to-hand combat, flipping and dodging left to right, up and down, and even a matrix dodge a few times when one would try to round-house kick the other. The hand-to-hand combat took awhile, since they were both very quick, and were either dodging or taking the blows but never stopping their movements. When they ended up fist to fist, trying to push the other back, they both jumped back, while Meir back flipped and Akemi twirled back.

Next, they started using their elemental powers against one another in a medium-ranged fight; Meir with Water, Shadow, Sound, and Wind, and Akemi with Lightning, Fire, Earth, and Ice. They kept using their elements against one another, as Meir stood in midair to fight, while Akemi stood on the ground. It was a pretty chaotic battle since they were using multiple elements at one time, but eventually both of them started to get tired.

"How long Akemi? How long can you fight me?!" Meir called down to her, as he stood suspended in midair with wind swirling around the bottom half of his body.

Akemi was breathing a little heavy, as she looked up at Meir and replied,

"For as long as you can!"

Meir flew down lower with the wind around him, as he stood in front of Akemi above the ground.

"Can't you see my dear? We are basically evenly matched. Why fight when we can just stop right here? I gave you the choice... but I know it can not be... and I won't force you darling, I would never do that... Cause eventually, that will be your _only_ choice after I change everything," Meir said, as he laughed.

Akemi looked at Meir as he laughed, and her expression became sad as she realized that he wasn't going to heed her words. Then her expression became more determined and enraged, as she started to glow golden, and she knew what she had to do... her last resort.

Akemi's eyes started to glow vivid green, as the rest of her body became golden and golden wings formed on her back. She quickly grasped Meir by his collar with a vice-grip, as Meir looked at her in shock and surprise while holding onto her hands, which nearly burned his.

"I have given you enough chances through our talk and through this battle, but I see that you still will not listen or give up."

Akemi furrowed her eyebrows and added,

"So now I must resort to my last resort..."

Meir arched an eyebrow, and then Akemi said,

"I will seal you where you won't hurt anyone anymore. I will keep you locked away until you see the light! To the depths we go!"

Akemi started to glow brighter, as Meir tried to pull out of her hold while saying,

"You wouldn't! You wouldn't do that! You know what will happen! You know what will happen to you!"

"Yes, I know... but I'm doing this for you," Akemi said with a small smile, as Meir looked at her in surprise and sadness.

"Leeet's... GOOOO!" Akemi shouted, as she started flying upward and forward, while pushing Meir in front of her.

It was with such an amazing speed that she did this, that Lloyd and Raven had a hard time keeping up.

"RAAAAHHH!" Akemi shouted, as she continued flying through the air while still pushing Meir in front of her.

After awhile of traveling, Akemi came to a stop while holding Meir's collar with one hand, and shooting a green beam of light down into a body of water below them with her other hand. In that moment when Akemi was looking down, Meir held onto her hand that was holding his collar with one hand, while concentrating a pink/purple, black ball into his other hand. He threw the ball away, as it flew across the water to land, and fell into a dark crater in the ground.

Then Akemi turned to Meir, as she held him with both hands and said, softly,

"I didn't want to do this to you Meir... it's the only way to protect you and everyone else. But no matter what..."

"I will always love you," Meir finished her sentence, as they gazed into each others' eyes for a few seconds.

"Don't do this to yourself Akemi. Please," Meir nearly pleaded.

Akemi smiled as one tear rolled down her cheek, and she said,

"Goodbye Meir."

As Akemi immediately flew downward towards the water, Meir screamed, "NOOOOOOO!"

After diving into the water, passed the sand, and passed the mountains of dirt and rock, Akemi sealed Meir into the depths of the undersea ground. A large beam of golden and green light shot upward from the seal in the ground towards the sky, as it slowly faded inward until it disappeared.

Lloyd and Raven were in a state of surprise, as they watched the beam of light fade until it was gone.

"She sacrificed herself to seal him underground," Raven said, sadly, as Lloyd nodded.

"She was a true ninja," Lloyd said.

Then a lone blue wave came and swept over the whole land, as Lloyd and Raven watched the whole area turn all blue. As the blue faded away, Lloyd and Raven noticed that they were inside the temple.

They saw that the leaders stood side-by-side near the center of the room, while the Temple guards stood aligned to the walls, and Garen and Elder Vidur stood near the stand along with Midori and Akeno, who stood more to the right side. However, Garen was holding the Purple Ninja's orb with a scroll that was found with it, while Elder Vidur was speaking to everyone in the room. There was also a Scribe and a Scroll artist who stood behind the stand on chairs with tables to write and draw on.

"My dear friends. Today was a dark day in Aeroplane. Not only had our beloved Purple Ninja become overtaken by grief and rage, but our beloved Green Ninja had risked her life to stop him, and save us all. We will miss both of our Ninja protectors because they weren't just our guardians... they were our friends, our brethren, our family... and because of this great respect that I have for our two ninja, I ask that their names not be written or drawn in the scrolls. Let the future generations who see the scrolls know them as we did... heroes, and friends. No details should be necessary about each of them... they have been through enough," Elder Vidur said, and the Scribe and Scroll artist agreed, as they formed the scrolls.

"Now, I wish to also address something that Akemi requested us to do after she confronted Meir... Darkness..." Elder Vidur said, as Garen walked a few steps forward and presented the Purple Ninja's orb.

"Akemi wanted the Purple Ninja's orb to be hidden at all times. She suspected that, if she had to seal Meir, that if he broke out and was still Darkness, that he would seek the next Purple ninja. Now, we all know that they created the orbs so that when they couldn't protect the world, the orbs will choose the next Purple and Green Ninja and bestow upon them a share in their powers so that they could rise up... but Akemi suspected that Darkness may try to turn the next Purple ninja to the dark side. She implored us to hide the Purple Ninja's orb, so that when the next Purple ninja is to be chosen, that they will be safe from Darkness," Elder Vidur said.

"What about the Green Ninja's orb?" Lerato asked.

"She told us to keep it in it's place, and to not worry about it no matter what," Elder Vidur replied.

The leaders looked towards one another, questionably, but they decided to roll with it.

"Now I wish to ask if any one of you, even the Temple guards, would want to take the responsibility of hiding and protecting the Purple Ninja's orb and passing it down until the next Purple ninja is found?" Elder Vidur asked.

The Leaders and Temple guards looked towards one another, as they were deciding on this. Then one temple guard, who wore all black with a black hood covering her eyes, stepped forward and starting walking towards Elder Vidur and Garen. Some of her black hair came down from the sides of her hood and neck, and she wore a dark blue belt.

She stood before them and said, "I will guard the Purple Ninja orb for life."

Garen's eyes widened, as he recognized her voice being Jetta's. Elder Vidur also recognized her voice and asked,

"Are you really willing to take on such a responsibility Jetta?"

Jetta firmly nodded, as Garen walked closer to her to hand over the orb.

"Will you be okay Jetta?" Garen whispered.

"I'll be okay Garen. I'll be leaving Aeroplane anyway," Jetta whispered back.

Elder Vidur was able to hear them whispering, as Garen gasped and asked,

"Why?"

"It'sss my time to go. It wasss nice being with all of you. I may come back to visssit some day," Jetta whispered, as her serpent tongue became visible, which made Garen's eyes widen.

"So Yahto is truly gone..." Elder Vidur whispered, as Jetta turned towards him and nodded.

As Jetta turned to go, with the Purple Ninja's orb and the scroll, Garen turned to Elder Vidur and asked,

"You knew about Yahto?"

"Yes. I've known about the existence of the Black Mambian, and that they prefer to keep their serpent forms secret. But I'm sure that Jetta wouldn't mind, especially after what happened," Elder Vidur replied, and Garen nodded.

As Jetta walked out the door, while everyone else stood inside, she walked a few feet away from the front door and then she stood still. Lloyd and Raven followed her out the door, as they noticed that it was night outside. Jetta looked down at the purple orb in her hands and clutched it close after wrapping it in a black cloth from her pocket. She looked upward at the moon, that stood about forty five degrees upward, as the wind picked up and her hood fell back. Then she said,

"I will take the resssponssibility of a Black Mambian, assss I will alssso take the resssponssibility of the former Black Mambian'sss sson. I will not let you down: Yahto, Meir, and my dear friend Akemi... for I will be..."

The wind blew her bangs away from her face, as her glowing blue eyes were revealed, and she said,

"The Black Mambian."

Jetta pulled her hood over her face, as she quickly walked away to leave Aeroplane.

"That's why your dad had the pearl, and why the Viporeans named it the 'Viporeon Pearl,'" Lloyd said.

"I wonder if my dad knew. I mean, he probably does... which could explain why he let the Viporeons guard it," Raven said.

"And the Black Mambian... When a Black Mambian dies..." Lloyd said, and Raven finished,

"The next chosen one becomes the new Black Mambian."

Then a translucent blue wave crossed over everything, as it disappeared.

**Why did writing this chapter make my eyes water a little? **

**Whhhhhyyyyyy?!**


	111. Chapter 111 Beginning Resumption

"What was that?" Lloyd asked.

Raven looked up, and noticed that the moon was further across the sky, getting ready to set so that the sun could rise. She also noticed that fewer lanterns were lit in the streets.

"I think we're later in the night," Raven said.

Then they realized that they were behind the temple.

"Why are we here?" Raven asked.

"Maybe we have to go inside," Lloyd replied.

They both entered the temple from the back, as they came into the backroom where the Green Ninja's orb was still kept. However, the Green Ninja's orb was glowing golden with some green, as it started to glow larger and brighter. Then...

CRACK! SHATTER!

The Green Ninja's orb cracked in half and then fell to pieces, as something sprung up from within it. A small version of the Golden dragon, about twice the size of the orb, stood flying just above where it broke out from. It started to fly away, as it left the broken glass shell of the former green orb behind, and flew through the walls and out of the temple.

Lloyd and Raven followed the small Golden dragon in awe, as it came towards a house that was closer to the edge of Aeroplane, but not close that someone would fall off. The little Golden Dragon flew near the second story window of the wooden house, as it looked inside to see a little boy sleeping in his room. Lloyd and Raven also looked into the room, and recognized the little boy.

"That's the same boy who was with his mother when Akeno and the others first left," Raven said.

"Why is the dragon here-" Lloyd said, but he stopped when a thought came to his mind.

"Lloyd? Are you okay?" Raven asked.

"Wait. Let's keep watching," Lloyd replied, and Raven nodded.

Then the Golden dragon flew through the window, as it landed on the boy's stomach, while looking at him. Lloyd and Raven also entered the room, as they stood near the window.

The boy began to shift and yawn, as he opened his eyes and saw the little Golden dragon on his stomach. He propped himself up on his elbows, as his eyes widened in surprise to see the little glowing creature.

"Wha... you... your that golden bird that Akemi used to ride? What are you doing here? And why are you tiny?" The boy asked.

The little Golden dragon moved it's nose closer to the boy, smelling him, as the boy slowly moved his hand to pet him. The boy smiled, as he slowly sat up while the little Golden dragon stood on his knees.

"Is there something you need little bird? You need my help?" The boy asked, as the Golden dragon nodded.

"What is it? Is it for Mrs. Green ninja? Does she need help?" The boy also asked, as the Golden dragon nodded again.

Then the Golden dragon stood on it's bottom two feet, standing tall, as it spread out it's wings widely.

"Raaaaaaahh!" The little Golden dragon squeaked a roar, as the boy's eyes started to glow golden along with the dragon.

Then the little Golden dragon flew into the boy's chest, as the boy started to glow golden.

"What theeee?" The boy said, as he started to feel sleepy.

The boy fell back on his pillow, as he fell asleep while the glowing stopped. Lloyd and Raven were very surprised, but then blue waves crossed over everything. Darker blue waves, along with the lighter ones crossed over everything, and after it stopped, Lloyd and Raven were left in a dark void of some sort.

They saw the boy standing in this dark place, as the full-sized form of the Golden dragon stood before him. The boy stared at the dragon in awe, and then he heard a disembodied voice say,

"I can see that your heart is a pure one. Your also brave, kind, and have great potential. I'm sure you'll make a fine wielder of my powers until the next Green ninja could be found. Of course..."

Then a person stepped forward from behind the Golden dragon, revealing herself to be Akemi, as she knelt down before the boy so that they were eye-level. She continued speaking, also revealing herself to be the disembodied voice, as she said,

"It's your choice if you wish to contain my powers until the next Green ninja could be found. I wouldn't want to force you, especially since this is a great responsibility, and mastering my powers without being the Green Ninja may take more time."

The boy blinked a few times, as he thought about it, and he even crossed his arms and put one hand on his chin. Then he lowered his arms, as he smiled and nodded.

"I want to help you Green ninja Akemi. I'll take good care of your powers, and I'll find a way to find the next Green ninja," the boy said, and Akemi smiled.

"Thank you very much. I'll help you the best I can from this realm. After all, we're linked now," Akemi said, as she pointed to the Golden dragon.

She also added, "You may be able to see things before they happen too. Keep that in mind... and a brush in hand."

The boy nodded, as Akemi ruffled his hair, and stood up.

"I'll see you soon. Just remember, that having my powers, opens a very wide range of possibilities. You can make your own style of power too," Akemi said, as she started walking backwards from the boy.

The boy looked at the Golden dragon, and then he looked at Akemi with a big smile and said,

"I'll make a power called, 'The Golden Dragon Style.'"

Akemi smiled and said, "Thank you," as she disappeared.

Then a flash appeared before Raven and Lloyd as they covered their eyes. When they regained their sight, a window in the void stood before them, as they saw more through the window. The boy was older, as he hugged his mother, and then he went to travel to the land below. Next, the window showed him as a man, glowing golden, while he was spreading his golden power across the lands to purify them and form the lands of Ninjago.

Another scene flashed in the window, as it showed the pink/purple black energy ball that Darkness threw towards a crater in the land. It stood dormant for awhile, but when the Golden man used his power on the lands of Ninjago, the pink/purple black energy ball started to react, as it grew larger and formed into a monstrous, shadowy creature.

Then the window flashed with a mild light, as it showed the Golden man spinning in a golden tornado towards the monstrous, shadowy creature.

Lloyd and Raven realized that the Golden man was actually the First Spinjitzu Master, while the pink/purple black ball that became a monstrous creature was the Overlord. They were shocked by this realization, as they looked towards one another in their dumbfounded-ness.

Then the window disappeared, as the blue waves started to spin around Lloyd and Raven very quickly, and then they spun around as they covered their eyes. After a few more moments, Lloyd and Raven felt that the spinning stopped, as they slowly opened their eyes. They blinked a few times, realizing that they were on the ground, side-by-side, as they were still holding hands. Before them was the Blue sphere, slowly spinning around it's axis, as if nothing happened.

"We're back," Raven said, as she looked at herself and saw that she was in her physical form again.

"Yeah. We're awake," Lloyd said, as he looked at himself, and saw that he was in his physical form too.

"Oh your back. Nice to see you two. How did it go?" Time Sensei asked, cheerily, as she and Marcell were walking towards them.

"It was... very surprising, but enlightening," Raven said, as she and Lloyd stood up and they released each others' hand.

"Good, good. I hope seeing the past would help both of you," Time Sensei said with a smile.

"It did help us understand a lot of things, but we still don't know how to unlock our powers," Lloyd said.

"What? Weren't you supposed to see how _they_ did it?" Marcell asked.

"Yes, but we saw how they _received_ their powers. They didn't really _unlock_ them," Raven clarified.

"That's pretty unfortunate," Reine said, as she approached them.

"Mother!" Raven said, as she went and hugged her mom.

"Hello dear. That must have been a dozy being in the Past Sphere," Reine said, as she hugged Raven back, and then they separated.

"It was pretty weird at first, but we adjusted well," Raven said, as she gestured towards Lloyd and he nodded.

"Well, this is quite wonderful! Having my greatest pupils under one room, and having the second Green and Purple ninja too. It's just divine!" Time Sensei said, with a smile.

"It is isn't it? But we still need to help these two unlock their powers again," Marcell said, as she pointed to Lloyd and Raven.

"Hm... yes. They need to unlock their powers, but apparently Meir and Akemi had jumped into the Platinum orb to obtain their powers, not 'unlock' them. But then again, they obtained their powers together, so maybe being together may help... hm... -Sign- I'll be honest loves, I really don't know how you can unlock them. It is something within both of you that you need to figure out," Time Sensei said, as she placed her hands on each of their shoulders.

Lloyd and Raven looked downhearted, as they looked towards one another.

"Oh come now children. Don't look so glum. You'll find a way, I'm sure of it. Now just take a rest for awhile. You'll need it after being in the Blue Sphere for so long," Time Sensei said, and Raven and Lloyd agreed.

Back on the Bounty:

"OUCH! Dude really," Andrex said to Jay, as he rubbed his head.

"Sorry! My hand still has a mind of it's own," Jay said.

"Just try to keep it under control for a minute," Andrex said, as he went back to work on taking off Jay's bandage from his leg.

"Okay. It looks like all of the bite marks have healed. Now you just need time for the poison to leave your system," Andrex said, as he took the bandages and threw them in the trashcan near the side of the bed, and the rubber gloves he wore.

"Yes! Soon I'll be able to get up and see how the others are doing," Jay said, as he raised both of his arms up.

"You know I'm still here right?" Kai called from his bed behind the curtain that was between him and Jay's 'rooms.'

"Oh, Kai! How are you doing dude?" Jay asked.

"Better. I can move both of my arms now, but I can't lift anything too heavy," Kai replied.

"Cool. Maybe we'll both get out at the same time," Jay said.

"I sure hope so," Kai said.

"Hey, I think there's a bug on you," Stephen said, as he swatted one of Kai's arms.

"OUCH!" Kai yelled out.

"Oh sorry, the bug must have _sneaked_ _away_," Stephen said, sarcastically.

"That's not funny, and I said I was sorry for sneaking off," Kai said.

"And you could have hurt yourself worse, fool. Then Marcell would have slapped me, and I wouldn't want Flare on my back," Stephen said.

"Yeah, he's right, but I would have been the one to slap him," Flare said, as she stood in the doorway.

"Flare, your back," Kai said.

"How is everyone?" Jay asked.

Flare replied, "Their doing... better. I mean, Nya is sleeping now and the venom treatment is working well. Uh, Cole still hasn't woken up, but his condition is improving so he might wake up... and Auria hasn't woken up, but her condition hasn't improved by much..."

The guys looked down sadly.

"But we're finally able to come in the room to see her. Zane was already there, but he was called by Sensei Wu not too long ago, so Christa is with her now," Flare said.

"How is Christa doing?" Jay asked.

"-Sign- She's holding on," Flare replied.

In Auria's room:

Christa sat on a chair next to Auria's bed, as her sister sleep almost peacefully. She was rubbing Auria's arm, as she looked at her sadly.

'_Auria... please be strong. You've always been strong..._' Christa thought, as she laid her head on the pillow near the side of Auria's face.

"Please Auria. Please big sister... your stronger than this... please wake up... we still need you... you didn't die before, s-so this is nothing..." Christa said, as tears started to roll down her cheeks, and she added,

"P-Please Auria. Wake up soon. Don't leave us... Don't leave me, or mom, or dad, or our friends, and especially don't leave Zane alone... I know it may not be a choice sometimes whether you stay or go, but please try to c-come back... please c-come back..."

"She's strong Christa. She'll come back," A familiar male voice said, as Christa looked up to see Cole standing at the doorway with a cane and messy hair.

"C-Cole... your up... your finally up!" Christa said, as she stood up and quickly walked over to Cole as she hugged him.

"Yeah. I'm sorry for worrying you like this," Cole said, as he hugged Christa back.

"Your okay now, so it doesn't matter," Christa said, as she smiled and buried her face into Cole's chest as he also smiled.

While Auria laid sleeping on the bed and Christa and Cole were talking, her lips formed into a small smile.

**I wanted to brighten up the mood from these last few chapters, **

**but the story hasn't ended yet...**


	112. Chapter 112 Prelude to Heartache

Back in Time Sensei's mountain house:

"The Platinum weapons didn't work eh? I figured not. Darkness helped to make them, so he probably figured out how to prevent them from helping Lloyd and Raven since the ninja-boys used them before," Time Sensei said, as she sat with Marcell and Sensei Reine around a small round table in the main room with the large screen.

Lloyd and Raven were standing some feet away from them, trying to think of a way to unlock their powers again.

"If only we were able to summon that Platinum dragon," Raven said, as they still couldn't think of anything.

"I know right? That beast was awesome," Lloyd said.

Then Lloyd and Raven looked into each others' eyes, as they had the same thought. They slowly walked closer to one another, as they stood about a foot in front of one another. After a moment, they reached out and held hands, as they closed their eyes and started to concentrate.

"What are they doing?" Marcell asked, as she observed Lloyd and Raven.

"They must be trying another way to unlock their powers. Oh! Silly me, I almost forgot. May you two help me on a little project I've been working on? It may take a little time, but I believe we'll be able to get it done if we work together. What do you say?" Time Sensei asked Marcell and Reine.

"What's the project?" Marcell asked.

"Oh its just a crystal-porter. It's been taking a while for me to finish it on my own. Will you two be able to help me? I'll give a ride back to your peoples after we finish?" Time Sensei asked, with a more pleading smile.

"Sure thing Time Sensei," Reine replied.

"Alright," Marcell replied.

"Wonderful, thank you! Now may you two go to the other room for awhile? I want to talk to them alone, but I don't mind if you listen in," Time Sensei said, with a smile on her face.

Sensei Reine and Marcell looked towards one another with arched eyebrows, but they agreed and left the room, although they were listening from the other-side of the door.

Time Sensei stood up from her seat, and she looked towards Raven and Lloyd, as a sad expression appeared on her face.

Lloyd and Raven opened their eyes as they signed.

"Nothing," Lloyd said, as Raven shook her head slowly.

They released hands, as Lloyd started to pace back and forth, while Raven crossed her arms to think.

"Why isn't anything working? What haven't we tried?" Lloyd thought out loud.

"Hm... what... haven't we..." Raven thought out loud, but then she started to feel a pressure on the right side of her head.

She placed her hand on her head, as the pressure grew and started to become more painful. Raven's shoulders cringed as the pain in her head grew worse on the right side and it was spreading to her right eye. She kept her eyes closed tightly, as she gritted her teeth from the increasing pain. Lloyd turned back towards Raven, as he noticed her in distress, and he quickly walked towards her.

"Raven, what's wrong?" Lloyd asked, in concern.

"It's starting," Time Sensei said, in a more serious tone, as she slowly walked closer to them.

"What's starting?" Lloyd asked, as he turned towards her.

Raven started to feel lightheaded, as she fell on her knees and placed her left hand on the ground, but the pain on the right side of her head didn't stop. Lloyd hurried next to Raven and bent down to her level, and said,

"Raven. Raven! What's the matter? What's hurting you?"

"I... don't know... M-My head hurts... something is... AAHH!" Raven shouted, as she collapsed towards her right side, while Lloyd caught her before she hit the floor.

Lloyd held her in his arms, while on his knees, and he looked at her in worry.

"Raven. Open your eyes. Let me know if your okay. Please. Just open your eyes," Lloyd asked, almost pleading.

Raven relaxed her jaw and eyes, as she slowly started to open her eyes, but it was hard for her to do so. She blinked a few times before she was able to fully open her eyes. Oddly, the vision in her right eye looked dark and hazy for a moment until it turned back to normal.

Lloyd gasped when Raven opened her eyes, since her left eye was normal, but her right eye flickered red and then returned back to normal.

"R-Raven, your right eye just... turned red," Lloyd said.

"Wha-What?" Raven asked, as she held the right side of her head since it hurt, although less than a moment ago.

"It has begun. Darkness is pretty crafty a fellow isn't he?" Time Sensei said, as she stood before Lloyd and Raven.

Lloyd looked up at Time Sensei and asked,

"What are you talking about Time Sensei?"

Time Sensei breathed in and out slowly, and then she explained,

"You see Lloyd, when you jumped in front of that attack that Darkness was using on Raven, you interfered with it, which ended up prolonging it's true intent. There's a reason Darkness wanted to lock Raven's powers during that attack, because then she wouldn't be able to fight what the attack was really for."

"What was it for?" Lloyd asked.

Time Sensei sadly signed and replied,

"To turn Raven evil. He didn't want her powers to interfere with when he sent a beam of evil and corruption into her heart. Until the transition from good to evil was complete, then Raven would get her powers back... but she wouldn't be the same Raven you know."

Lloyd gasped in shock and held an expression of terror as he remembered his dream when the disembodied voice, which he now knows is Akemi, showed him an image of Raven turning evil.

"No... no... this can't happen! I won't let it!" Lloyd shouted.

"You could have helped her, but your powers were locked when you deflected the attack. I'm sure your heart is safe from evil, but as you can see, Raven's heart isn't doing well," Time Sensei said.

"Why? What's different?" Lloyd asked.

"Raven is the Purple ninja and a Black Mambian's child. Darkness is the same two things. Although a Black Mambian and their children are immune to a wide variety of things, if you pit one verses another, they can actually harm one another. Like fighting fire with fire. Darkness knows this, and that's why he wasn't worried if Raven didn't willingly join him. Also, their powers are linked by the Silver dragon, like how you and Akemi are linked by the Golden dragon," Time Sensei explained, as Lloyd looked down at Raven sadly, while she looked up at him sadly.

"But unfortunately, I have looked through the Future orb, and although the future is never set in stone, I only really saw two possible outcomes of Raven's condition," Time Sensei said, as she turned away from them.

Lloyd saw that Raven was more stable, although her head was still hurting. He picked her and brought her to the small table, as he sat her down on one of the chairs. While Raven rested her head on the table, Lloyd walked back to Time Sensei to continue their conversation.

"What are the two possible outcomes?" Lloyd asked, more seriously.

Time Sensei turned towards him, with sorrow in her eyes, and she said,

"The first outcome is that Raven would become evil, as what Darkness wanted, and that she would gain her powers back but her powers would be dark and corrupted. She would also join Darkness."

Lloyd felt a shiver down his spine, and he shook it off as he breathed slowly to calm himself. Then he asked,

"And the other outcome?"

Lloyd wondered if the next outcome would have been better, but the expression on Time Sensei's face towards him was sympathetic sadness.

"What is it?" Lloyd asked, a little worried now about her answer.

Time Sensei felt the breaking of a part of her heart once again, as she recalled what she saw. Then she replied, while closing her eyes,

"Raven will fight against the darkness trying to take over her heart, and the more she counteracts it, the weaker she will become until..."

After a moment of silence, Lloyd asked,

"Until what?"

Time Sensei turned her head away from Lloyd, but he wanted to know the truth. Lloyd approached Time Sensei and placed his hands on her shoulders and asked,

"Until what Time Sensei? What's going to happen? Please tell me. I need to know."

Time Sensei turned towards him, as she opened her eyes, and replied,

"Until... she dies."


	113. Chapter 113 A Ninja's way

Lloyd felt as though his heart stopped beating, as the whole world became silent. He looked at Time Sensei with widened eyes, as he slowly stepped away from her and released her shoulders. He slowly started shaking his head, as he said,

"No. Th-That can't be... she can't... die? That can't be Time Sensei."

Then Time Sensei said, "It is Lloyd. I saw it. Why do you think I knew your name already?"

Lloyd gasped, as he slowly moved his hand towards his heart, since it felt as if someone was grabbing at both sides and trying to rip it apart. He started shaking his head a little quicker, as he felt water accumulating on the corners of his eyes, and his mouth became dry.

"No Time Sensei. No! NO! She can't die! She CAN'T! I won't let her turn evil! I won't let her die! Either way I'm losing my Raven! I can't lose her! And I promised to always protect her for her parents! For our friends! I won't lose her!" Lloyd said as he fell on his knees before Time Sensei.

He added, while tears were beginning to stream down his cheeks,

"PLEASE TIME SENSEI! There HAS to be another way! Another possible outcome. Please Time Sensei! Tell me there is another way!"

Time Sensei started to accumulate tears around her eyes, as she held in her cry for Lloyd's sake, and sadly replied,

"I looked more than once... there are no other ways then what I told you. I'm so sorry Lloyd. I wish you two didn't have to suffer like this."

Time Sensei placed her hand on her mouth, as she tried to keep herself steady so that she wouldn't cry in that moment. Lloyd laid his hands on the ground as tears kept streaming down his cheeks. He balled one of his hands into a fist, as he started pounding it a few times on the ground, while saying,

"Why? What did she do to deserve this?! She's always been good and kind and caring! Why my Raven?!"

Time Sensei let Lloyd release his stress, as she looked towards Raven, who was looking towards them. Raven was sitting up tiredly, as she had her hand over her mouth, and a few tears were streaming down her eyes.

Then Lloyd stopped hitting the ground, as he took a moment to breathe. After that moment, Lloyd nearly whispered,

"No..."

Time Sensei looked at Lloyd questionably, but then her eyes slowly widened, as she saw him standing up.

"I won't let this happen. I won't let this happen to her. The future is never set in stone, like you said. I'll find another way, or I'll make one! This isn't over," Lloyd said, as he stood up with tear stains still on his face, but he held a fierceness in his eyes.

Time Sensei looked at Lloyd in surprise at first, but then she smiled and said,

"I believe you can do it."

Lloyd nodded towards her, and then he turned towards Raven, as she looked at him in surprise. Lloyd's eyes softened, as he looked towards her.

"What do you plan to do?" Time Sensei asked.

Lloyd reached into his pocket, as he pulled out a small trinket.

"What's that?" Time Sensei asked, in a curious tone.

"A Dragon whistle. Raven gave it to me a while back when I was looking for Ultra dragon. I still kept it with me," Lloyd replied, and then he said,

"I'm going to bring Raven to Aeroplane. To the place where Akemi and Meir first got their powers and became the Platinum dragon. Maybe going back there could help us. After all, the temple retained some of the Platinum dragon's power since it changed from regular stone to platinum and all that."

"Hm... that may work. Back to the start," Time Sensei said, as she put her hand to her chin.

Lloyd put the whistle back in his pocket, and he walked over to Raven. He saw that she looked tired, so he picked her up with one arm under her knees, and the other on her back, just under her shoulders. He walked back towards Time Sensei, as she asked,

"Why take a dragon instead of going on the Bounty?"

"The ninja and kunoichi need to focus on getting better, and I don't want the others to worry. Besides, our dragons are faster," Lloyd replied.

"Sunrise," Time Sensei said.

"What?" Raven asked.

"When the sun rises up, Raven's fate will be sealed by either way I told you. You have to find a way to prevent this before sunrise... or all hope is lost," Time Sensei replied, as Lloyd remembered the vision he had before, where he heard Time Sensei's voice talking about the sunrise.

Yet, he also remembered hearing Akemi's voice, telling him that she believed he could do something. Lloyd nodded towards Time Sensei with determination, and said,

"We'll make it. Thank you Time Sensei."

Raven nuzzled her head into Lloyd's chest, as he gently laid his cheek on her head.

"Then hurry on your way you two. There's not a moment to lose!" Time Sensei said with a smile, and Lloyd looked up and nodded towards her.

Time Sensei quickly ran towards her closet, and she pulled out a big, flat, gray square platform and a large dark-blue marble, as she set the platform before Lloyd.

"Stand on it," Time Sensei said, and Lloyd did as instructed.

Then Time Sensei held the marble forward as it started to glow, and the platform started lifting up.

"What's going on?" Lloyd asked, as the platform lifted him and Raven higher.

"It's a lift. It'll get you to my front door quicker. Don't worry. Once your up there, I'll open the door from my computer. Just get to Aeroplane, okay?" Time Sensei said.

"We will," Lloyd said.

"See you later, Time Sensei," Raven said.

"I'll hold you to that! Bye!" Time Sensei said, as she rose the platform quicker.

Lloyd and Raven were able to get to the front door, as Time Sensei opened it up. When they were outside, Lloyd set Raven on her feet, as he used the Dragon whistle. Ultra dragon and Pearl immediately answered the call, as they stood before Lloyd and Raven. Lloyd quickly explained the situation to them, and he asked for Ultra dragon to guard the Ninja and for Pearl to bring him and Raven to Aeroplane. Both dragons agreed, as Ultra dragon flew to the Bounty down the mountain, and Pearl let Lloyd and Raven on her back, as she started flying towards Aeroplane. Lloyd held Raven next to him, as she leaned her head on his shoulder since her head was starting to hurt again.

'_Don't worry Raven. You'll be okay,_' Lloyd thought.

Back at Time Sensei's home:

"Do you think he'll make it, Time Sensei? Will he be able to save my daughter?" Sensei Reine asked, as she and Marcell approached Time Sensei near the computer.

"Do you think being at Aeroplane will unlock their powers? I mean, you said you only saw two ways," Marcell asked.

Time Sensei placed her hands behind her back, as she turned towards her two friends and replied,

"I'm not sure of _all_ that will happen, although I have a foresight that has revealed many things to me. I do believe that Lloyd has a chance in saving Raven, and I believe both of them have a chance in saving the world... There are many ways of which things can occur, and sometimes those ways can be limited as to the two outcomes I saw. However, as I have seen with the Second Green Ninja... there are other ways, but then there is a Ninja's way, and I'm curious as to how this turns out."

Sensei Reine and Marcell looked towards one another, and then Time Sensei clapped her hands together which startled them.

"Come my friends, let's get to work," Time Sensei said, and Sensei Reine and Marcell nodded.

On the Bounty:

"Where are they?" Lucy asked Ultra dragon, as she stood on deck, while Ultra dragon was sitting near the Bounty.

"Raaaahhh," Ultra dragon said.

"Oh wait, I can't speak dragon," Lucy said, as she walked closer to Ultra dragon, and placed her hand on one of his heads.

Then Lucy saw when Lloyd was explaining the situation to Ultra dragon and Pearl, while Raven stood next to him, although she didn't look too well. Lucy gasped when she heard the explanation, as she pulled back from Ultra dragon.

"Oh no... I hope they get there in time," Lucy said, in concern.

"Raah," Ultra dragon said, although Lucy understood his expression.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what he said. I'll just tell them to get the Bounty moving to Mount Soaria. We won't be very close to Aeroplane, but if anything happens, we'll be close enough," Lucy said, and Ultra dragon nodded.

After explaining to Sensei Wu that they needed to go to Mount Soaria to wait for Lloyd and Raven to return from Aeroplane, Sensei Wu agreed to get the Bounty moving. Lucy also explained, from what Lloyd said, that Sensei Reine and Marcell were going to stay with Time Sensei for awhile and that they could leave without them.

**School work is becoming more abundant. I may not be able to post chapters for my stories as often for a while from all the work, but when I get a week off from school in like April, then I'll be able to get more chapters up at one time. I'll still try to post when I can. :)**


	114. Chapter 114 Reintegrate

**I made a poll. It should be on my profile. I need help with a decision. It's not serious so don't worry.**

**Oh! And enjoy the next chapter!**

Lloyd, Raven, Pearl:

They crossed over forests and hills, as Lloyd kept a close eye on Raven. Her eye flickered red twice, as she grew weaker and a little paler after each time. Lloyd grew more concerned for Raven, but he knew he had to keep a level head. He moved Raven in front of himself on her back and side, so that his arm wrapped around her shoulders, while his other hand held onto Pearl's reins over Raven's legs.

"A-Are we c-close?" Raven asked, as she had one hand on Lloyd's chest, while the other was wrapped around his waist, weakly.

"We're close. I see Mount Soaria now," Lloyd replied, as they drew closer to the mountain.

"Okay..." Raven whispered, as she started to cough.

"Are you okay?" Lloyd asked.

Raven took a moment to breathe slowly, and then she replied, "I'm okay... I think."

Lloyd looked down at Raven, and his eyes widened when he saw that her right eye was red and that she looked dazed.

"Raven!" Lloyd called her name.

Raven snapped out of her daze, as her eye returned to normal.

"Y-Yes?" Raven asked, as she looked up at Lloyd.

"Y... nothing... Are you cold?" Lloyd asked.

"No, I'm alright," Raven said, as she leaned her head against Lloyd's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Hurry Pearl," Lloyd said, and Pearl turned her head partially towards him and nodded.

Pearl flew even quicker, as they came closer to Mount Soaria, and then she flew upward through the fog. She quickly maneuvered through the fog, as she rose up above the clouds and fog to see Aeroplane ahead.

"Good work Pearl," Lloyd said as he smiled, and Pearl turned and nodded towards him.

They flew the rest of the way to Aeroplane, as Jorgon came over to see them, and he brought them straight to King Shou and Queen Kani when he saw that Raven wasn't feeling well. They met King Shou and Queen Kani at the front of the castle entrance on ground, where the temple used to be. Lloyd and Raven realized that the castle tower with the heli-pad was where the temple was.

After Pearl landed on the ground and Jorgon left to go back on guard duty, Lloyd jumped down off of Pearl with Raven in his arms, as he approached the concerned King and Queen.

"We heard from Auria and Christa that you guys were going to Ninjago city to retrieve Raven. Did something happen to her there?" Kani asked, as she placed her hand gently on Raven's forehead.

Lloyd explained,

"Darkness and her were fighting, and he shot an evil beam at her. I deflected it, but my powers were locked, as well as Raven's. We went to see Time Sensei to see if she knew how the First Green and Purple ninja unlocked their powers, but... they received their powers from-"

"The Platinum orb," King Shou said, as Lloyd looked at him in surprise.

"Yes, we have a little more knowledge about what happened before than the scrolls," Kani said.

"Then... do you know who the first two were?" Lloyd asked.

"That's the only thing we don't know," King Shou said.

"T-The First Green Ninja's n-name is Akemi..." Raven said in a near whisper, as Kani removed her hand from her head, and they looked towards her.

"T-The First P-Purple Ninja's name is Meir, also known as... D-Darkness," Raven finished, and Shou and Kani gasped.

"Yeah. It's hard to believe," Lloyd said, and continued, "But that's the problem, because Darkness is the Purple ninja and a Black Mambian's kid, he was able to use his powers against Raven so that he could turn her evil. That evil beam he used was supposed to turn her evil sooner, but since I deflected it, it stalled the effects... But now it's starting to act up, and we need to unlock our powers or else she'll either turn evil... or die."

Kani held her hand to her mouth, as Shou said, sadly,

"No... not the baby bird of the Princesses."

"We tried everything we could to unlock our powers, but there was nothing more we could do. That's why we wanted to see how the first two got their powers so that we could unlock them, but they received their powers from the Platinum orb. Then I thought that, maybe if we came to the place where they first received their powers, maybe our powers will unlock again or we'll be able to unlock them somehow," Lloyd said.

"Okay. This tower here is where the temple is. The tower was built to protect the temple. We'll bring you to the heli-pad, since that's just above where the temple roof is, and where the Platinum dragon first appeared," Kani said.

"Come. I'll lead you two up," Shou said, as he led the way into the temple for Lloyd and Raven.

"Come Pearl. You should take time to rest," Kani said to the Purple dragon, as Pearl reluctantly agreed since she was worried about Raven.

Back on the Bounty:

"Easy man. Slow and steady," Andrex said, as he was walking down the hallway with Jay, Kai, and Stephen, as Jay was trying to walk since he hadn't walked for a while.

"I got it," Jay said, as he was careful with each step he took.

"Hey guys! It's been a while," Cole said, as he was walking towards them with Bronze following, since he was watching over him so that he wouldn't hurt himself.

"Cole! You really are awake!" Jay said with a smile.

"It's good to see you again," Kai said with a nod.

Cole nodded back and said, "It's good to be back."

"Where's Zane at?" Jay asked.

"He's with Auria," Cole replied, sadly.

"We heard she still hasn't woken up," Kai said, as Christa approached the group from behind Cole.

"No she hasn't... not yet anyway," Christa said.

"I'm sure she'll wake up soon. Just like Cole over here, and... Nya!" Jay said, as he noticed, a few rooms down the hallway, that Nya was walking out of her room with Luna walking besides her.

"Jay?" Nya said, as she looked across the hallway and saw the others grouped together and looking towards her.

When she saw that they were all okay, she smiled, and when she noticed that Jay was limping towards her quickly, she started quickening her pace to him.

"Careful Nya," Luna said, as she helped Nya walk the rest of the hallway to Jay.

"I gotcha dude," Andrex said, as he took Jay's arm over his shoulder and helped him walk across the hallway to Nya.

When they were close enough, Andrex and Luna let go of Jay and Nya, as the two embraced in a longing hug.

"Oh Jay, your alright! I was so worried about you and Kai and Flare. I couldn't keep my eyes open to see what was happening, and my head was pounding... I'm just so glad that your all okay," Nya said in relief and with a big smile on her face.

Jay pulled a little back from the hug, as he looked at Nya with a big grin and said,

"I'm so glad your okay too Nya. I knew the others were somewhat okay because Kai was a curtain apart from me and he went to check on the others, and even Flare was telling us how everyone was doing... but I really wanted to see you. I was so worried, what with that deadly poison and all, but King Terrin saved you!"

Jay gave Nya another hug, and then he pulled back and gave Nya a kiss on the lips. She was a little surprised, but then she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Although it was adorable for the small amount of time it lasted, Kai was able to quickly walk over and separate them, as he spoke playfully,

"Okay, okay. You love each other, that's great. But wait until you tie the knot first."

"Kai!" Nya said with a blush, as she lightly punched Kai on his shoulder, so that she wouldn't hurt him.

Jay also blushed, while he rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin. Cole, Bronze, and Stephen smirked, while Christa, Luna, and Andrex chuckled.

"Oiy! What's all of this here little birds? You all feel well enough to fly?" The familiar voice of Queen Malentha called, as the group turned towards the end of the hall that led to the Bounty's deck and saw her walking towards them with Flare following her.

"Since you two are well enough to kiss, then I can safely assume that _all_ of you can come up on deck with your weapons," Malentha said, as she and Flare stood before the group.

"Are we being attacked?" -Cole

"We're so hoofed if Darkness found us!" -Jay

"What happened?" -Kai

"Iie! Calm yourselves ninja! There's no one up there besides our people, but things aren't looking so well for Aeroplane. We had to move the Bounty to a safer location so that those flying lizarians wouldn't find us," Malentha said.

"The Lizarians are heading for Aeroplane?" Kai said in surprise, while the others looked at each other in surprise.

"My home," Christa said, in concern.

"Don't worry yourself much Lil'Christa. They've been on Mount Soaria, and it looks like they aren't moving for awhile. I'm not sure why Darkness would want them there, but I'm sure if they attack, then the ones near Volcanic Kingdom will attack at the same time," Malentha said.

"But, we were able to inform my dad, and he's already prepared to fight," Flare said.

"And we just sent three of our people, who just returned, to warn Queen Kani and King Shou about them," Malentha said.

Before anyone could ask, Malentha said, in a more commanding tone,

"Well? What are all of you waiting for?! GET YOUR STUFF AND GET UPSTAIRS! LET'S GO!"

The three ninja, one kunoichi, and one samurai started heading back to their rooms to get their suits and weapons, while the four vampires accompanied the ones they were watching over. Then Lucy stuck her head into the hallway from the entrance to the Bounty's deck and said,

"They made it to Aeroplane without being spotted."

Malentha turned towards her, as well as Flare, and she said,

"Great. Let's go wait on deck."

In Auria's room:

Auria still laid on her bed with the covers over her body, except her left hand, as Zane stood sitting on a chair next to the bed. He reached towards Auria's hand with his own, and held onto it, as he used his other hand to stroke her hair.

"Auria... I only wish that I could trade places with you. You shouldn't be in this position again: battling against life and death… -sign- but things happen..." Zane said, softly, as he stood up and let go of Auria's hand.

Then he laid his hand on her cheek, as he leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on her other cheek.

"Even so, I won't give up on you Auria. I promised that I wouldn't leave your side, and I won't! I'll stay here with you... my dear Auria... no matter how long it takes for you to awake, I'll stay by your side always. No matter what, I'll be here for you... so p-please... stay with me t-too," Zane said, as he sat back down and laid his head on the side of the bed, and wept.

As Zane quietly cried, he didn't yet notice that the covers were slowly moving.


	115. Chapter 115 Howls of the Sunrise

Aeroplane:

Shou had led Lloyd and Raven to the top of the tower, where the heli-pad was, and then he left when Gerry came to him on an Aerocycle and said that three people needed to see him and Kani.

After they left, Lloyd walked towards the center of the heli-pad, as he placed Raven on her feet on the ground. He walked near the edge of the heli-pad, as he looked beyond Aeroplane and saw that the sun hadn't risen, but that the sky near the horizon was changing color. Raven bent down on one knee, as she touched the floor, feeling that the floor was actually made of platinum stone. She tried to concentrate on the platinum stone, to see if she could take any power from it or manipulate it in anyway. Meanwhile, Lloyd turned around and noticed what Raven was doing. He walked closer to where she was, as he bent down on one knee and placed his hand on the floor.

After some time of concentrating, Lloyd and Raven opened their eyes to see that nothing happened. They both stood up on their feet, as they placed one hand on their own chest to see if they could use their powers. Still, nothing happened, as they removed their hands from their chests while signing.

"Nothing. What are we doing wrong? I thought if we stood here and tried to use our powers then maybe something would have happened," Lloyd said, as he rubbed his forehead with his hand in frustration.

"Well... maybe we're not thinking of this the right way. I mean, they received their powers from jumping into the Platinum orb, but they did it to save everyone right?" Raven said, as she rubbed the side of her head.

"Yeah. They did it because they wanted to save and protect everyone on Aeroplane. We're basically doing the same thing, just on a larger scale," Lloyd said.

"Exactly, but what are we missing? If we _are_ missing something, what is it? What's different now then back then?" Raven asked, as she placed her hand on her chin to think about her own questions.

"Besides the power already being a part of us, nothing," Lloyd said.

"But there has to be a reason why the Platinum power became a part of Akemi and Meir. Why were they able to summon the Platinum dragon? To be as one dragon?" Raven asked.

"I don't know," Lloyd said, in a near whisper.

Then Raven felt as though her head was spinning, as she clutched her head with her hands, and then she yelped when a sudden sharp pain pulsed in her head. Her legs grew very weak, as she fell backwards, but Lloyd was able to quickly catch her right before she hit the floor. He stood on his knees, while holding the upper-half of Raven's body upward with one arm, and keeping his other hand on the other side of her waist. Raven was able to relax her hands from her head, as she lowered them and let them rest on her stomach.

"Are you okay? Raven!" Lloyd said in concern, as he anxiously waited for Raven to open her eyes.

"I'm n-not sure," Raven said, as she opened her eyes to reveal that her right eye was red.

"Raven,' Lloyd said, as he saw that her eye wasn't returning to normal.

"No," Lloyd said, as he looked up to see that there were more colors in the sky of orange and yellow, as the sun was about to rise.

"Lloyd," Raven called him, as he looked down at her in worry.

"The sun... is coming up soon, isn't it?" Raven asked, and Lloyd sadly nodded.

"I... I won't let this happen... I won't let Darkness have... his way," Raven said, as she coughed and grew weaker.

"Raven. Raven! I'm so sorry. I... I won't give up, I'll find a way... I... I can't lose you... no... No!" Lloyd said, as tears began accumulating around the corners of his eyes.

"Lloyd, don't... don't be sad," Raven said, in a weaker voice.

"How can't I?! Your growing weaker by the minute and there's nothing I can do about it! How can I call myself the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master, the Green ninja if I can't even save you?! The one I love with all of my heart," Lloyd said, as tears began streaming down his cheeks.

"Lloyd, please... don't think like this. Whether I stay or go, don't be so sad... We had fun together, d-didn't we? Spending time together, laughing, joking, hanging out with the others... and how can't you call yourself the Green Ninja and Ultimate Spinjitzu Master? Y-You saved me plenty of times to reassure that... your my hero Lloyd," Raven said softly, as she gently stroked the side of Lloyd's face.

"B-But Raven... how can I go on without you?" Lloyd asked, as he sniffled a few times.

"K-Keep the good times we shared in your mind... and keep my love in your heart... then we'll never truly be apart," Raven said, in a near whisper with a small smile on her face.

"Raven... my Raven... I'll always love you," Lloyd said, as he laid his forehead on Raven's while tears rolled down his cheeks.

"I'll always love you... too..." Raven said, as the full realization of the situation hit her.

She thought of her parents, the Viporeans, the four princesses, the five ninja, the Vampires, the Serpentine, her former enemies now friends, the dragons, her other friends including the koi fish, and she especially thought about Lloyd. Her heart began to weep, as it felt as though it was falling apart. Tears formed around Raven's eyes, as she started to sniffle, and as Lloyd lifted his forehead from her own, Raven began to weep.

"Raven, wh-what happened?" Lloyd asked.

Raven leaned her head on Lloyd's chest and her left hand, as she continued to cry and said,

"Why must this be our last moment?! I don't want it to be! I want to stay with you, with _all_ of you! All our family and friends and everyone! I want to stay. I don't want to go so soon!"

As Raven continued to cry, Lloyd hugged her gently, while stroking her hair and said,

"Shh, don't cry like this Raven. Your right, we shouldn't be so sad. Even if this may be our last moment, we shouldn't let it be a sad one... Calm down Raven. I'm here, I'm with you. I'll always be with you."

"I want to always be with you t-too," Raven said, as she pulled back a little to look at Lloyd.

"You are, and I am," Lloyd said, as he held Raven's hand with a soft smile on his face through the streams of tears on his cheeks.

Raven held onto Lloyd's hand, as she also smiled at him through the flow of tears running down her face.

"No matter what..." Raven said, and Lloyd finished her sentence,

"I will always love you."

Lloyd gently laid his forehead on Raven's, as they both closed their eyes and smiled. Their hands gripped tighter together, as the sun finally rose up above the horizon.

_Aeroplane- Kani and Shou:_

"Are you sure those creatures are waiting to attack us?" King Shou asked the three people before himself and Kani.

"We are your majesties. Those Lizarian freaks are waiting just on Mount Sora to attack Aeroplane," Dareth said, with Violet and Tempura standing next to him.

"Mount Soaria," Violet corrected, and Dareth said,

"Oh yes that! Mount Soare, Soaris, Soarisa, Soaria - Yes! Mount Soaria."

Violet smirked and shook her head, as Tempura hissed a chuckle.

"Prepare our warriors for battle! Keep them around where those Lizarians may come from, and gather the sky warriors to fly on the Aerocycles! Keep everyone at the ready for an attack!" Queen Kani said into a white walkie-talkie that she took out from her pocket.

"Yes Queen!" Replied the Generals of Aeroplane over the walkie-talkie.

"Let us prepare too my dear," Shou said, and Kani nodded.

"Your majesties, we would like to know where Lloyd and Raven are? The others on the Bounty are concerned, especially their parents," Violet asked.

"Yessss, where isss the Princessss and the Sssspinjitzu Massster?" Tempura asked.

Kani and Shou looked towards one another sadly and questionably, since they didn't know if they should tell.

"Whaaat's with all the sudden silence? Did something happen to them?" Dareth asked, growing more concerned.

"Well... the thing is..." Kani said, but she didn't finish.

_Bounty_:

"So they're just waiting to attack," Kai said, as he stood on deck with everyone else, besides Zane and Auria.

"This looks bad," Jay said, as he was looking through a telescope at the Lizarians who were gathered on Mount Soaria.

"Why can't we do something?" Nya asked.

"You all just recovered from near-death experiences, I don't think you should just rush into battle," Flare said.

"But we can't just let those Lizard-monsters attack Aeroplane," Cole said.

"They haven't moved yet, so maybe we'll still have time to recuperate for a while longer before fighting them," Christa said.

"Waiting here is pointless if it results to nothing," Terrin said, as everyone turned towards him.

"We can't risk fighting them head on. It may be more harmful than good," Sensei Wu said.

"But if we wait here and it results in more tragic madness, then waiting is pointless," Garmadon said.

"But we must wait to see if Lloyd and Raven will return soon," Misako said.

"Yes, we should wait to see if they'll come," Lucy said.

"I hope they're alright," Dr. Julien said.

"I'm sure they will be," a familiar voice called out, as everyone turned towards where the voice came from.

"AURIA!" Christa shouted in delight when she saw Auria and Zane slowly walking towards them, with smiles on their faces.

Christa ran to her older sister, as she gave her a hug, and Auria hugged her back.

"Your awake. I'm so happy that your okay," Christa said, as she let a few tears roll down her cheeks.

"Yes. I feel much better now. Sorry for worrying all of you," Auria said, as she and Christa pulled back from the hug.

"I don't care, as long as if you're here now," Christa said happily.

"Just like Cole huh?" Auria asked with a smile, as Christa looked at her in surprise.

"Although I was unconscious, I could still recall hearing what everyone was saying. Strange isn't it?" Auria said, and Christa shrugged.

"Your alright!" Cole said, as he walked over to Auria and gave her a hug.

"I am, Cole. Thank you for protecting everyone from the Lizarians before, and for waking up," Auria said, as she and Cole pulled back from the hug.

"I should be thanking you for saving us. If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't be here right now," Cole said, and Auria nodded.

"It's great to see you up and running again," Kai said, as the others stood in a semi-circle in front of Auria and Zane.

"I'm so glad that all of you are safe, and that I am able to be here with all of you," Auria said.

"It's our pleasure and honor Auria. Welcome back," Lucy said, as she quickly hugged Auria, which surprised her, and let go.

"You flipping worry-causing..." Flare said, as she approached Auria with an upset expression.

Then she hugged Auria which surprised everyone, and said, in an about-to-cry tone,

"I'm so glad your freaking back my friend."

Auria softly smiled, as she hugged Flare back and said,

"I am too. You were very brave in saving everyone when you did. Thank you Flare."

Auria and Flare parted from their hug, as Flare started wiping her tears from her eyes. Yet, a tissue appeared in front of Flare, as she saw that Kai was giving it to her, without looking at her. She took the tissue, as she started wiping her tears, and she noticed that Kai was sniffling a few times.

"Kai, are you crying?" Flare asked, as the other Ninja turned their attention to Kai.

"No. Women cry, but men weep… and I'm not weeping," Kai said, as he turned around while rubbing his eyes with a more serious expression, while Flare held back a chuckle.

"Hey! Those Lizarians are acting weird!" Stephen said, as he hung from a rope that was connected to the center pole on deck.

"What are they doing Stephen?!" Sensei Garmadon asked.

"They appear attentive towards Aeroplane, but they aren't moving!" Stephen replied.

"What's happening on Aero-" Flare said, as she cut off her sentence while her eyes widened.

"What is it? What's happening?" Jay asked, as Flare turned towards Aeroplane.

Everyone else looked towards Aeroplane, and they all gasped.

**So... I'm sorry for leaving you guys on a cliff-hanger. **

**Also, I've been meaning to write short stories based on Disney movies with the Ninjago characters replacing the main characters. I'm indecisive on who I wish to write about first, so if you guys can vote on the poll on my profile page, I will appreciate it. **

**The actual stories will be written later, but I wanted to prepare for when I do write them. Thanks peeps.**


	116. Chapter 116 Restored Objectives

**I'm back! :D**

Aeroplane:

"What is that?" Dareth asked, as he, Violet, Tempura, Kani, and Shou looked up at the tower where Lloyd and Raven were.

On the top of the tower was a large, spiraling form of pure energy that shone brightly and vividly. The spiral began to grow very large, as it almost encompassed the whole top half of the tower and above it. As it spun faster, more energy was spiraling around in the tornado, as two sets of lights started to glow from within the spiral, but it's full form was yet to be seen. Two lights from one set were green, while the two lights from the other set were purple.

As this tornado was taking form, all the people of Aeroplane watched in shock and surprise.

"I-It can't be the... the..." Shou stuttered, as Kani finished his sentence,

"The Platinum dragon."

When the tornado faded away, in its place was a large, platinum-based dragon with two heads. The head of the green-eyed one was in the form of the Golden dragon, while the head of the purple-eyed one was in the form of the Silver dragon. The Platinum dragon spread it wings outward, as it raised it's heads and roared, which sent multiple platinum waves outward in a large spherical form.

Everyone covered their eyes as four waves passed, since the waves were very bright and powerful.

Just outside of Aeroplane, the Ninja crew also covered their eyes since the waves even reached them. The Lizarians, on the other hand, were trying to avoid the platinum waves by flying away, although some of them didn't and they faded into shadows as they disappeared.

After the waves passed, and everyone was able to look up again, the Platinum dragon flapped it's wings once, as it wrapped it's wings around it's body and curled up. Then the Platinum dragon started to glow and become a mist, as it faded away and disappeared.

The sky was fully blue, since now it could be seen better, and everyone was in shock.

King Shou, Queen Kani, Violet, Dareth, and Tempura immediately started running towards the tower. When they made it to the top where the heli-pad was, they were surprised and relieved by what they saw:

There stood a light blonde-haired ninja with glowing green eyes, and his ninja gi had platinum shoulder armor and a platinum belt, while there also stood a black-haired kunoichi with glowing purple eyes, and her ninja gi had platinum shoulder armor and a platinum belt. They were holding hands and stood side-by-side, as they looked at the others, and then towards each other. They smiled sweetly at one another, as their eyes returned to normal, and then they hugged one another.

"Whoa ho ho! What happened here? Did you two see that giant dragon-like beast? It was awesome," Dareth said, as he and the others approached Raven and Lloyd.

"Oh yes, we saw it," Raven replied, as she and Lloyd parted from their hug but still held hands.

"Well, we kind of saw it, considering that it was us," Lloyd said, as the others' eyes widened.

"You two really became the Platinum dragon?" King Shou asked to clarify, as Lloyd and Raven nodded.

"You two really did it. You became the Platinum dragon! This is brilliant! Superb!" Queen Kani said with a smile, as Lloyd and Raven smiled back.

"And Raven, your no longer ill from evilness," Kani said, as she looked at Raven's face carefully to see that her skin wasn't pale and her eye wasn't red.

"Becoming the Platinum dragon helped to purify her heart, and it unlocked our powers again," Lloyd said, and Kani nodded in understanding.

"And I think our powers have received an upgrade," Raven said, as she held her hand forward and brought forth silver energy without even breaking a sweat.

"Ooohhh," Dareth, Shou, and Kani said, amazed.

"Quite amazing, and it's great to see that your alright Raven. You too Lloyd," Violet said, with a little smile on her face, as Lloyd and Raven nodded towards her.

"But the battle isn't over yet," Raven said, more seriously, and Lloyd nodded.

"We still have to take down Darkness, the Lizarians, and Kerrie too," Lloyd said, in a deeper tone.

"The other ninja and kunoichi are waiting on the Bounty outside of Aeroplane. They are hiding since Lizarian troops were spotted on Mount Soaria," Tempura said, and Raven and Lloyd nodded.

"Alright, thanks guys. We'll go ahead to meet them," Lloyd said.

"Don't wait up. We'll remain here to guard Aeroplane," Violet said.

"That's right. The good people here will need protection as well," Dareth added.

"We'll see you guys later than," Raven said, as she and Lloyd started walking towards the edge of the heli-pad.

"Be careful princessss," Tempura said, and Raven smiled and nodded towards her.

"One thing, how are our daughters? We haven't gotten much of a response from them lately," Kani asked.

"They're okay now. Everyone is," Raven said, as she could sense that the Ninja were all still alive.

"Let's go," Lloyd said to Raven, as she turned towards him and nodded.

Then they both jumped off the heli-pad, which shocked the King, Queen, Dareth,Violet, and Tempura as they ran closer to the edge. However, two flashes of light appeared, as Raven and Lloyd were seen flying away on their respective energy-based dragons. This time, the reigns on the dragons were made of platinum.

The five on the heli-pad were relieved, as they waved towards them, and Raven and Lloyd turned around and waved back. They continued flying until they were above the clouds, and then they descended towards where the Bounty was.

_Bounty:_

"What was that?" Kai asked, as everyone was still amazed by the winged-creature that appeared on top of Aeroplane.

"I don't know, but it was amazing. It was all shining, and awesome!" Jay said.

"It was like a bird or something," Lucy said.

"I don't know, it looked like a dragon," Flare said.

"Whatever it was, it seemed to have an effect upon all of us," Zane said, as he felt different.

"Yes. I do feel rejuvenated by the pulsing forms of energy that the creature sent out," Auria said, as she looked at her hands.

"Hm..." Cole said, as he was thinking.

"What is it Cole?" Christa asked him.

"That dragon. It looked similar to how Lloyd and Raven's dragons look, and Lloyd and Raven headed up there not too long ago," Cole said.

"You think it could have been them?" Nya asked.

"I have a hunch. I mean, they are the only two I know who can summon dragons," Cole said.

"It's a possibility," Sensei Garmadon said.

"And if that's true, then Lloyd and Raven must have restored their powers," Misako said.

"Hey look. They're coming now!" Kai said, as everyone looked up and noticed the Golden and Silver dragons with their riders flying towards them.

"They have indeed restored their powers," Sensei Wu said with a smile, and everyone else smiled and waved towards the two.

"Hey guys!" Lloyd's voice was heard calling out.

"Hey! You're all really alright!" Raven's voice was also heard calling out.

"Yeah! Everyone's okay!" Christa called back, as Lloyd and Raven were able to hear her clearly.

Lloyd and Raven landed on the Bounty's deck, as their dragons disappeared. The Ninja and Samurai gathered towards them, as they all greeted each other.

"Auria! Nya! Cole! Your all alive!" Raven said, as she hugged each of them and they hugged her back.

"I wouldn't miss this moment with you, or with any of our family and friends," Auria said.

"Your dad was the real hero for me Raven," Nya said, as they parted from the hug.

"And me too. So was your mother," Cole said, as he mildly ruffled Raven's hair and she smiled.

Raven looked towards Terrin, as he shyly smiled, and she ran and hugged him, as he hugged her back.

"Thank you papa," Raven said.

"Of course my snakelet," Terrin said.

"Mom isn't here yet?" Raven asked.

"She said she and Marcell will return soon," Terrin replied, and Raven nodded.

"It's good to see that all of you pulled through. I have to admit, I was really worried about you guys," Lloyd said, as he hugged the girls and man-hugged the guys.

"Thank you for your concern for us," Auria said.

"We were worried about you and Raven too. Darkness almost got you guys, and I'm sure he would have done worse to you two then us," Kai said.

"Heh, yeah, almost," Lloyd said, as he looked to the side.

"Lloyd, I think since you guys are okay and we are too, maybe you should tell us what happened after you met with Time Sensei," Lucy said, and Lloyd and Raven looked at her in surprise, as Raven and her father came closer to the group.

"Oh yeah, wait a minute, you guys met with Time Sensei. What happened? What did she say?" Jay asked, as everyone else became attentive towards their response.

Raven stood next to Lloyd, as they looked at one another, and she nodded. Lloyd nodded back, and then turned towards the others and said, "Let's sit down for a minute. It's a lot to explain…"

After about forty five minutes of explaining what happened to Akemi and Meir in the Past time orb, and what happened with Raven and the Platinum dragon, the Ninja, Samurai, parents, and the rest of the Vampires and Verpentine were all left speechless and full of surprise. Of course, the silence didn't last longer than a good five seconds, especially with Jay around.

"Oh. My. Gosh... so Meir is Darkness, who lost his mind because of his mother dying, finding out what he was so late, his father telling him people will reject him, some people actually rejecting him, killing his father, and being exiled from Aeroplane which would separate him from his own home and the love of his life forever! ... That's messed up," Jay said, shaking his head.

"The First Green ninja... was a GIRL?!" Kai said, just stricken by that fact.

"And you said I couldn't be a ninja because I'm a girl," Nya said, as Kai rubbed the back of his neck.

"In our opinion Nya, your already a ninja. The first samurai ninja," Flare said, as the other kunoichi agreed.

"That would make her a... Samuja, Ninurai, Sanja?" Lucy said, as the girls thought about it.

"Let's stay on track everyone. We still have to deal with Darkness, the lizarians, and Kerrie," Sensei Garmadon said, as everyone returned their focus to their main objectives.

"So, what should we do first? What's the plan?" Flare asked.

"We need to find Darkness and stop him. Akemi gave us all this time to get ready for when he would return, and it's time to give back by finishing what was started all those years ago," Lloyd said.

"We need to defeat him, and now with our upgraded powers, we have a better chance then before. I can feel it," Raven said.

"His base is back at Ninjago city, but I'm sure our invasion from before will make it more difficult to get inside," Misako said.

"We're not sneaking in this time," Lloyd said with a smirk, as a few pairs of eyes lit up.

"-Gasp- We get to fight head up?!" Flare asked, with a grin and her arms curled up with her hands in fists.

"We don't have to hide?!" Cole asked, with a big smile and one curled up fist.

"We can just fight?!" Kai asked, as he took a step forward with a big grin on his face.

Lloyd nodded and said, "This time we're going straight for Ninjago city. No sneaking around. We're facing Darkness and his army head-on."

"Do you think that is a wise choice Lloyd? Darkness still holds a lot of power and a strong army," Sensei Wu said.

"And who said that _we_ don't have the same thing? But unlike him, we have two powerful ninja on our side," Malentha said, as she walked towards Lloyd and Raven and stood between them while she placed her hands on each of their shoulders.

"Yeah, I agree with that," Stephen said, as the others also agreed.

"So what the son are we waiting for? Let's get ready for a war we are most likely going to win!" Malentha said, as she released Lloyd and Raven's shoulders.

Everyone cheered in agreement, as the Ninja raised their weapons and cheered.

"Thank you Miss Malentha," Raven whispered.

"Of course my little friend. Just make sure you give an extra kick at Darkness for us, alright?" Malentha said, and Raven nodded.

"Well, considering how powerful Darkness is, you two would have to fight him, while the rest get Kerrie and the army," Silva said, as she walked closer to Lloyd and Raven.

She no longer wore a cast on her right arm, although her left was still bandaged up.

"That's right. If anyone is going to combat Darkness, it's us," Lloyd said, referring to himself and Raven, as Malentha moved away from between them.

"This time, we'll fight together," Raven said, as she held Lloyd's hand, while he firmly but gently gripped her own.

"That's good to hear... I just... have one thing I ask for..." Silva said, almost sadly, as everyone paid extra attention.

"... please... find my son. I know he's alive, but I've grown worried. I know that Darkness always had his eye on Ryan, and I know it's because Ryan has powers and great potential. I don't know if maybe Darkness captured him or if he's hiding somewhere, but please, save my son," Silva said, as she looked downward.

"We'll find him Silva," Lloyd said, which made Silva look up.

Then Silva felt a hand on her shoulder, as she turned to see Lucy.

"I won't rest until Ryan is back in your arms," Lucy said, confidently and with a smile, as Silva's eyes watered.

"Thank you," Silva said, as she smiled and nodded towards Lucy, and then towards Lloyd.

"Let's all keep a look out for Ryan. If you see him, say something and help him," Kai announced to the others, as they all agreed with nods and saying 'yeah.'

"Alright, we have our objectives: head to Ninjago city, bring Lloyd and Raven to defeat Darkness, look for Ryan, and take down Kerrie and the rest of lizarians. Let's get this ship ready and moving before noon! GO!" Terrin commanded, with his hands behind his back, as everyone quickly headed to their stations in and on the Bounty.

Lloyd and Raven stood on deck as they stood near the railing. They looked at one another, as they held hands with both hands.

"So, we're finally going to face off against Darkness," Raven said.

"Yeah. But this time it'll be different," Lloyd said, with a confident smile, as Raven smiled back.

"Then let's stop Darkness, and bring Ryan home," Raven said, and Lloyd nodded.


	117. Chapter 117 Leveled Up

**Finally back with a new chapter! YAS! Let the story continue! **

As the Ninja traveled:

"There they are," Lloyd said, as he spotted Ultra dragon and Pearl flying towards the Bounty.

Raven, who was with Lloyd near the bow of the flying ship, turned towards where Lloyd was looking and smiled.

"Peeeaaarl!" Raven called out, as her dragon joyously roared back.

Then Raven jumped up on the railing as she looked towards Pearl. She breathed in and out, and then she jumped off the Bounty.

"AH!" Flare yelped when she saw Raven jump off the Bounty.

"What the?!" Kai also yelped as he stood next to Flare.

The other Ninja also saw Raven jump, and they ran to the side of the Bounty to look over the railing.

"Why is she always doing this?!" Cole asked.

"I never worried before because she had her staff, but now I'm pretty nervous," Christa said.

"She learned from us, so I'm sure she'll be fine," Auria said.

Then Pearl suddenly dropped down, as she disappeared below a few layers of clouds.

"Oh great, even her dragon is doing it," Jay said, with a little smile.

After a few more seconds, Pearl rose up from the clouds with a spin, and then she spread her wings outward and flew normally. Upon her back stood Raven with a big smile on her face.

The Ninja on deck were pretty relived to see that Raven was fine. They also noticed that she was holding something small and red as Pearl approached the side of the Bounty.

"What'cha got there Raven?" Nya asked, since she was also with them.

"An apple I picked up before Pearl caught me. I used this," Raven said, as she took her left hand and swung it forward while platinum energy formed into a whip in her hand.

The whip latched around the center beam on deck, and Raven swung herself around it as she landed close-by the Ninja. While Lloyd smirked, the Ninja were amazed as they clapped and approached Raven with astonishment and compliments.

"Where did you get that whip? It's so cool," Jay asked.

"I made it," Raven replied.

"How long were you able to do that?" Flare asked.

"Um... recently," Raven said as she rubbed the back of her head.

"-Gasp- It must be from becoming the Platinum dragon! You probably unlocked some new powers and stuff," Lucy said with enthusiasm.

"That's true. The First Green and Purple Ninja created Platinum weapons, but that doesn't mean they couldn't create weapons for themselves," Auria speculated.

"Intriguing... that's why Darkness could create weapons, and even power the machines to create the Lizarians," Zane also speculated.

"But does that mean Gold and Silver powers are alike in creation?" Kai asked.

"Yes they are, but there are also a few differences," Silva said, as she approached the group.

"You know about that?" Cole asked.

"I've been around Darkness long enough to gain information about the First two... and since he was the First Purple Ninja, his information is indeed accurate," Silva said.

"What else did he tell you? Maybe it could help us," Lloyd asked, as he came closer to the Ninja and Silva.

Silva replied, "He didn't reveal a lot, since I didn't know he was the Purple ninja, but he did talk about the Golden and Silver powers. He said that the Golden and Silver powers are able to create, although one can heal and the other can endure. Also, they can harness the power of Platinum together or separately. However, Platinum is a tricky element to control, and only elemental users can handle a portion of it by using the Platinum weapons. Golden and Silver powers can call upon it to use, but can only use it's true power when united. That's why the Platinum dragon can only be summoned if the Green and Purple Ninja work together."

"So, that's why we could use the Platinum weapons, but Raven and Lloyd can use the actual element," Cole said, as he looked at his Platinum Scythe.

"That makes sense. Platinum power is very powerful, especially since it has been keeping Aeroplane afloat for all these hundreds of years. The Green and Purple Ninja can use it because they were exposed to it, but other elemental users weren't in direct contact with it to be able to use it," Christa said.

"Exactly. Platinum power gave elemental powers to people, and the Green and Purple are able to harness it to a certain extent," Silva said, as she leaned on the railing.

"I feel so special right now," Jay said, as held his Platinum Nunchunks.

"But remember to keep your humility in check," Auria said, with a small smirk.

"Yeah, or you'll end up like Kai," Cole said, as Kai turned towards him with narrowed eyes.

"I'm not that bad," Kai grumbled, and Flare gave him a peck on his cheek as he relaxed.

"So if Raven had a platinum weapon of her own, it would be a whip since that's the one she used," Lucy speculated.

Raven summoned forth the Platinum whip in her hands. It didn't have a solid physical form, but it was enough to be seen.

"I guess it's my true weapon," Raven said, and then she dismissed it.

"If you have one then, Lloyd should have one too," Kai said, as everyone turned towards the Green ninja.

"Let me try," Lloyd said, as he extended his hand forward, while the others took a few steps back.

Lloyd's hand started glowing gold as Platinum energy accumulated in his hand. It morphed and partially solidified itself into the shape of a katana, with a longer diagonal edge.

"Wooooaaah!" Everyone said, simultaneously.

"A Platinum Katana," Flare said, as she examined the glowing blade.

"Oooohhh!" Other voices said, as the Ninja turned to see the remaining Vampires standing close by.

"Yo, what kind of power is that man?" Stephen asked.

"It's shining," Luna said.

"That's the same power from before, with that dragon right?" Andrex asked.

"Yes. It is. And yeah," Christa replied, as the Vampires nodded.

Lloyd dismissed his katana, and the others signed since the awesome katana had been dismissed.

"You learn something new everyday, huh?" Terrin said, as he was walking towards the Ninja and Vampires and they greeted him respectfully, while Raven waved.

"It's great to see that all of you are improving, not only in physical strength, but strength of mind. You'll need both to go against Darkness again, and I'm sure the playing field will be better balanced this time," Terrin said, as he wrapped his arm around Raven's shoulders.

"This time we're definitely ready, your highness. Darkness isn't getting between us again," Kai said, as he nudged his fist into his palm.

"We're not playing games anymore. He's going down, or we'll go down fighting," Flare said, as she tightened her hands into fists.

"Except that last part, because we're not going to lose," Jay said, and the others agreed as they passed around high fives, and Flare smacked Jay's arm in approval as he smiled.

"It's good to hear that all of your confidence has returned, and that your wills are burning bright as one. I believe in all of you," Terrin said, and everyone nodded or said 'yeah.'

As the Ninja and Vampires turned to talk with the others on the ship, Terrin, Raven, and Lloyd stood where they were. Terrin released Raven's shoulders, and placed his hand on Lloyd's shoulder.

"I do apologize for my overbearing behavior back in Ouroborus. I knew you were a man of many strengths, but I didn't know the strength of your heart then. I can clearly see now that your heart is indeed the same as your element of Gold. I am proud that my daughter chose to be with a man of the most noble and kindest of characters," Terrin said, as Lloyd looked at him with widened eyes and an agape mouth.

Terrin removed his hand from Lloyd's shoulder, as he snapped his fingers in front of Lloyd's face to wake him up from his frozen expression.

"Oh! Uh! Sorry. Thank you your majesty. That means so much to me. I really appreciate it. I'm glad to be with Raven, and I'm glad that I was able to meet you because of her," Lloyd said, and Terrin nodded.

They turned towards Raven, who had her palms pressed together in front of her face while her eyes were glittering with a smile.

"Are you... okay Raven," Lloyd asked with a rising smile because he thought she looked so cute.

"I'm just... so glad you two are friendly now... like true friends," Raven said, and then she hugged both Lloyd and her father, as they smiled softly and hugged her back.

"Are we close to Ninjago city father?" Zane asked Dr. Julien.

"We'll be there in about an hour and a half. We have time to prepare beforehand," Dr. Julien replied, in a more dismal tone.

"What ails you father?" Zane asked, as he placed his hand on his father's shoulder.

"It's this battle. I know you've all fought your fair share of fights and this isn't new, but I feel much more concerned now then before. I'm quite shaken inside," Dr. Julien replied.

"Father, your reasoning for concern is understandable, and most likely others here can relate to it, but no matter what happens I'm sure we will overcome it. We haven't come this far to retreat, and we haven't endured so much to surrender. We **will** pull through father. I can guarantee that," Zane said, as Dr. Julien felt more encouraged and at ease by his son's words.

"Your right. We've been through much, but with all that we've been through, we should use that to empower ourselves to persevere. Thank you son," Dr. Julien said and he hugged Zane.

"Your welcome, dad," Zane said, as he returned the hug.

Christa was standing with Auria, as they were overlooking everyone while they were speaking to one another.

"It's almost time to get ready. We must prepare for this fight. It may be the last one," Auria said, in a lower tone.

Christa nodded with furrowed brows, and spoke towards the front of the ship,

"We're coming Darkness. Just you wait. But this time... you'll see the light."

Just below the Bounty, since it was flying high, the two dragons flew closer to the ground above a lake. After a moment, Tadi the Koi fish popped up from the lake. Pearl greeted the fish with a roar, as well as Ultra dragon, and Tadi greeted them back with a flip.

Pearl asked Tadi how he was doing and he said he was fine, but he mentioned something about a winged creature, like a dragon, carrying large equipment to a remote location not too far away. Pearl and Ultra dragon were intrigued by this information and concerned since they knew, from hearing the others talk, that the Overlord was another dragon who worked for Darkness now. They asked Tadi to lead the way to where the mysterious dragon was last seen, and Tadi agreed to show them by swimming through the underwater channels to the remote location.


	118. Chapter 118 Final Arc: Start

**I realized something when I came back to reread this chapter, so I re-uploaded it after fixing the problem. The next chapter… I will have it up as soon as I can, but I'm not sure when yet. **

_Later_:

In Ninjago city, in front of the dark tower, Kerrie stood leaning on the front double doors, waiting for the Ninja crew to arrive if they came. She wore a long black cloak that was tied with a golden string around her neck, and a black hood over her head that was attached to the cloak. Her eyes were closed, as she thought about what Darkness told her to do, but more importantly, about his appearance. He ordered her to watch over the tower if all of the Ninja came, and to make them feel welcome, but he didn't look normal:

(His hood was off, his hair looked messier around his bangs, and his expression held a forced grin, with hints of mixed emotions in his eyes. As Kerrie was leaving to stand guard at the tower, she could hear the Overlord trying to counsel Darkness to relax, but he fell silent when Darkness turned his way. Kerrie looked back as she walked, but Darkness' back was towards her, although the Overlord's fearful expression showed that she didn't want to see how Darkness was looking at him.)

As she stood in front of the Dark tower, she had many questions on her mind.

'_He's losing his cool temperament... I was sure he was going to start attacking like a wild man from the madness he feels inside. But what's stopping him? Was it that power surge a while ago? Was that the ninja and kunoichi? Is their strength bothering him? Or something more?_' Kerrie thought, but her thoughts were cut short when she saw a familiar airship flying down from a pretty long distance away to the city.

"Ahh, Darkness was correct. It's them," Kerrie spoke out loud, as she took a few steps forward and stood in front of the double doors.

She removed her hood and crossed her arms, as she wore a smirk on her face while waiting for the Bounty to set down.

_Bounty_:

"We made it, guys! Get ready!" Lloyd said, as the Ninja stood on deck and drew forth their weapons.

"Be careful everyone! And don't fight alone! We are all in this together!" Raven said, as the Ninja agreed with nods and 'yeah's.'

The Bounty landed a quarter of a mile away from the tower, and the ramp was laid out. The Ninja crew walked on the ramp to ground level, as they were heading towards the dark tower. This time, there were no thorn bushes surrounding the tower, and there seemed to be no sign of the Lizarians. King Terrin, Dr. Julien, Malentha, and the Verpentine stood on the Bounty to guard it, while Sensei Wu, Sensei Garmadon, Misako, Marcell, and the Vampires joined the Ninja, although they stood behind them.

As the Ninja were walking towards the tower, memories of their previous experiences in the city came to their minds: being caught in the dark bubbles, fighting against each Shadow Darkness that toiled with their emotions, being physically injured while some injuries were lethal, and having to watch the ones they care about and love getting hurt before their eyes. Although these were very distressing moments in their lives, remembering those moments at this time were actually empowering the Ninja, and encouraging them to fight with all their might to protect each other, and the world.

As if their hearts were beating as one, the Ninja stood before the dark tower and Kerrie, as they came to a halt at the same time. The others with them also stopped walking.

Lloyd and Raven took a few steps forward, as their expressions were serious and calm, along with the others waiting behind them.

"Well... how nice to see all of you," Kerrie said, as she stood in front of the tower doors with a slight smirk on her face.

"Kerrie," Raven nearly whispered, remembering that this woman was very dangerous, and that she was the same one who sealed her mother in a crystal prison and tried to kidnap her and Lucy.

"Kerrie, as much as it pains me to let you off the hook for now, I ask that you step aside and let us through to Darkness. We have no business to fight with you right now. I suggest you take this opportunity to rest... or escape from us while you can," Lloyd said, in a serious tone.

Kerrie's eyes widened in surprise, as she shifted her weight on her left leg and placed her right hand on her hip.

"Well well. This is surprising. You've grown up quite a lot Green Ninja. You too Purple Ninja," Kerrie said, and she shifted her weight back to both feet, as she placed her hands behind her back.

"I shall not stop you. You may enter the tower. Darkness welcomes the ninja and kunoichi to enter," Kerrie said, and she stepped aside.

The Ninja slowly advanced forward, as the others behind them started to follow.

"Ah Ah Ah! Not the rest of you! The ninja and kunoichi may enter, ONLY," Kerrie said, as everyone stopped walking.

"I don't like this," Flare whispered.

"We'll follow what she says for now. We need to get to Darkness," Lloyd whispered.

Raven turned to the crowd behind them and nodded, as the others stood in place. The Ninja continued ahead into the tower, but not before making narrowed-eyed glances towards Kerrie, who only smirked. When the Ninja were all in the tower, Kerrie said,

"Oh! I forgot to mention, this was indeed a trap to separate all of you. Bye~"

The doors of the tower immediately slammed shut and locked, as the Ninja ran back and pounded on the doors, but to no avail.

"I KNEW IT! We should have rushed her!" Flare said, as she flailed her arms around for a moment.

"It didn't matter. We have to reach Darkness," Auria said, as she brought out her Platinum Fans in each hand.

The other Ninja also brought out their Platinum weapons at the ready, while Lloyd and Raven raised their fists on guard. The large circular room they were in was all black, besides the floor being marble-colored. On the opposite side of the doors was an elevator of silver doors.

"Ha ha Darkness! Putting an elevator here was a mistake! We can get to him in no time," Jay said.

Two small lights activated above the elevator doors, as a -WOOOO- sound was heard, and then it stopped.

"Someone already beat us to it," Cole said.

"It looks like the elevator can only go up one more floor," Lucy said, noticing that there were only two lights above the elevator.

"That's one cheap elevator," Christa said.

"There's way more than one in there!" Flare said, as her Platinum Scimitar was enveloped in shadows.

The Ninja readied themselves for whatever was going to come out of the elevator, as the doors immediately slid open.

Lizarians, Lizarians everywhere! They sprung out from the elevator, as the red- and orange-eyed ones hovered in the air, while the blue-, green-, and yellow-eyed ones were spread across the ground floor. They snarled and growled, and there were at least twenty five of them.

"Oh g-gosh. Not them again," Jay said nervously, referring to the green- and yellow-eyed lizarians.

"Pull it together man! We have to smack these guys around and get through," Flare said.

"We shouldn't waste all of our time on them. I'm sure if we defeat Darkness these creatures would also disappear," Auria said.

"Okay, then what should we do in the meantime?" Kai asked.

"We have our Full Potentials. Only two of us need to stay behind," Auria replied, as she took a few steps forward.

"Then two shall stay," Zane said, as he also stepped forward next to Auria.

"No. You should move ahead," Christa said, as she stood in front of her sister.

"What do you mean?" Auria asked.

"This is a tall tower right? And the cheap elevator can only go up one floor. If there's no way to go higher, then they'll need your help to reach the top," Christa said, as her Platinum Gauntlets started to glow yellow while she raised her fists up.

"Don't worry Auria. I'll take care of Christa, and we'll take down these guys," Cole said as he stood next to Christa while his Platinum Scythe glowed black.

Auria nodded in approval, as did Zane, while they took a couple of steps back. The Lizarians that sprung forth from the elevator started moving forward to attack.

"We could use the flying ones to get across to the elevator," Raven said, noticing how the flying lizarians created a path to the elevator from above.

"That's genius. Let's go," Flare said.

"I need to reach my sister. I have a funny feeling about leaving her and the others back there," Lucy said.

"Then let's hurry across," Kai said, as he ran forward.

"Cole! Give me a boost," Kai said, as Cole turned back towards him and laid the top of his scythe on the ground before Kai.

As Christa used sound waves to push the Lizarians back, Kai stepped on Platinum Scythe as Cole flung it up and over himself while Kai ascended towards the flying lizarians. Kai was able to bounce on their heads as he flipped to the wall and then wall-kicked down so that he landed in front of the elevator.

The others followed Kai's example, besides Flare who fell into her shadow and crossed from 'underground,' and Auria who jumped over them with wind power to get across. The Ninja entered the elevator and pressed the button to reach the next floor, while they looked at Cole and Christa with worry. However, Cole and Christa were smiling, as they were surrounded by Lizarians back-to-back, while their eyes were glowing their respective colors.

"They're fine," Flare said, while the others signed in relief, as the elevator doors closed.

_Outside_:

"Your a coward Kerrie! Locking the ninja and kunoichi in there like that! How dare you!" Luna ranted, as the others stood behind her with furrowed eyebrows.

"Oh please, Vampire underling! You know and I know I can't take on ALL of them by myself! And besides, Darkness wanted me to do it! Cause I'm actually not alone..." Kerrie said, with a sly smirk, as she snapped her fingers.

The sounds of claws scrapping the ground and tower, as well as the growls of numerous beasts, filled the air as Lizarians were climbing or walking around the tower to be seen by the Ninja allies. They stood behind Kerrie, as the flying one also stood behind her on the ground. They slightly outnumbered the Ninja allies.

"Ooh no," Luna said, noticing that they were outnumbered by the beasts.

"We should challenge Kerrie by herself. She's already strong, and we wouldn't want to risk actual casualties with the Lizarians this time," Andrex whispered to the others.

"That's a good strategy, but the only problem is, who is going to face Kerrie?" Sensei Garmadon asked.

"I could fight her," Bronze replied.

"Not alone. Remember, Kerrie knows the Crystal technique and she may be prone to cheat. The only one who she fought fairly with was Sensei Reine," Sensei Garmadon said.

"Since your all taking so long, we'll go first... attack!" Kerrie commanded, as the lizarians ran ahead to fight the Ninja allies.

"No time for strategy now," Stephen said, as he and the others readied themselves for battle.

"Then show them no mercy," Terrin said, as he just arrived with the Verpentine as support.

"Just in time your highness. We need the extra support," Sensei Wu said.

"No problem," Terrin said, as he stepped forward while giving Kerrie a cold and intense glare that froze her in place.

_'Darn it Terrin! Why are you here?! Your actually scary to me!'_ Kerrie thought, as she stood where she was, noticing that Terrin was doing the same.

_'He won't fight unless I do... Darn It TERRIN!'_ Kerrie thought, as her fingers curled into fists.

"I guess all we needed, was Terrin," Misako said, as she brought out her hunter's knife.

"Let's GO!" Sensei Garmadon shouted, as he led the charge to fight the lizarians.

**Final Story Arc: Start.  
**


	119. Chapter 119 FA: Ascending the Tower

_In the tower:_

The elevator went up to the second floor, as the Ninja waited since the doors hadn't opened yet.

"How did all of those Lizarians fit in this elevator?" Flare asked, noticing how there wasn't much elbow room in the round elevator.

"It's smaller than I thought," Raven said, as she looked around while turning her head.

Lucy started tapping her right foot rapidly on the ground, as the others took notice.

"What's the matter Lucy?" Zane asked.

"It's just… I'm worried about the others fighting Kerrie. They do not have an elemental power to counteract her crystal power. I wouldn't want them to get hurt... or sealed in a crystal prison," Lucy replied, as an eeriness filled the room.

"We can't let them fight alone," Raven said, as she looked towards Lloyd.

"But we need to get you two to the top of this tower," Jay said, referring to Lloyd and Raven.

"Then Lucy should be the one to head outside, while the rest of us get Lloyd and Raven up to the top of this tower. Afterward, the rest of us will join Lucy outside to fight," Auria said, and the others agreed.

"There has to be _some_ way in here to get out there. Maybe a window or something up ahead," Kai said.

"And if there isn't, then we'll make one," Flare said.

Lucy smiled and said, "Alright. I won't let you guys down when I get outside!"

The elevator stopped, and then the doors slid open to the second floor. The room had the same appearance of the floor below it, but there was a stairwell on the opposite side of the room that led to the third floor. However, the bottom half of the stairs were broken off, and pieces of it were shattered across the ground.

"I'm guessing Darkness broke that," Jay speculated, as the Ninja stepped outside of the elevator.

Raven looked towards the right side of the room as her eyes slightly widened, and she said,

"Umm, I don't think Darkness broke the stairs _himself_."

The Ninja turned to the right as they stood in the center of the room, and a gray-eyed lizarian shifted and rose up from sitting near the right wall. He cracked his neck a few times, since he was sleeping, and then he growled viciously, as he slowly started walking towards the Ninja.

"Another one," Flare said, in a lower tone of voice, as she brought forth her Platinum Scimitar.

"That's not the only one," Lloyd said, as he turned to the left side of the room and saw another gray-eyed lizarian standing up and walking towards them while growling.

"Great. There's two of them," Kai said, as he brought out his Platinum Sword.

Auria looked towards the broken stairway, and then she looked at everyone else. Zane noticed Auria's eye movements, and he knew what she was thinking.

"Kai, Flare, will you two be able to handle these lizarians?" Zane asked, as Auria turned towards him with surprise.

"Of course," Flare said with a smile, as the Platinum Scimitar blade began emitting shadows.

"Why not? I've got a bone to pick with these guys anyway," Kai said with a smirk, as the Platinum Sword blade began emitting fire.

"Go on guys. We'll catch up," Flare said.

"Come on," Auria said, as she gestured to the broken staircase.

As Auria and Zane led the rest of the Ninja to the staircase, the gray-eyed lizarians charged forth, and Kai and Flare slashed at both of them with fire and shadows, pushing them back on their bottoms. Lloyd, Raven, and Zane made it to the top-half of the stairway, as Auria helped Lucy up with her wind power. Then a roar was heard, as another gray-eyed lizarian fell from the ceiling and landed in front of the elevator.

"What the heck!" Jay yelled out.

"He was hiding," Auria speculated.

Jay looked up at the others on the stairs, and then he turned back while drawing out his Platinum Nunchucks.

"Go up Auria. I'll handle this guy," Jay said with determination in his voice, as he started walking towards the third gray-eyed lizarian.

"Are you certain?" Auria asked.

"Yes. And I don't want to think about it anymore because I don't want to talk myself out of it. I do talk a little _too_ much sometimes," Jay said.

"Sometimes?" Kai asked.

"Shut it Kai!" Jay said, as he continued walking towards the lizarian, while the Platinum Nunchucks were emitting lightening.

Auria smiled, and then she jumped up to the top stairway with her wind power. The five ninja continued progressing upward, as the three ninja stood together to fight the more burly of lizarians.

_In the Bounty_:

Dr. Julien stood in the Bounty with a few other Verpentine, as he was using the screen map to scan the surrounding area. There were no possible threats near the Bounty, and he could see where the others were fighting with the Lizarians and Kerrie. He was also scanning the tower itself.

"Forgive my nosy-ness, but what are you looking for Dr. Julien?" Serpana asked, as she, Skales, and Fajra entered the room.

"It's no bother. I just wanted to check on the others to make sure that they were alright," Dr. Julien replied.

"I'm sure they're doing fine. Thossse ninja never learned to quit," Skales said.

"By defeating you Ssserpentine, I'm sure they never will," Serpana said.

"True, true. I won't deny that," Skales said.

"Sir Doctor/There ssseems to be/a ssstill reading from the top of the tower/ Assss if no one isss there," Fajra said, as she examined the screen scan that was fixed on the tower.

"What? But isn't Darkness up there?" Dr. Julien said, as he turned his attention to the screen.

He zoomed in near the top of the tower, and focused the scan on the top floor. After a few pulses from the scanner, two power levels were suddenly picked up.

"How strange. There are two powers in the top of the tower," Dr. Julien said.

"Two? Ssso/ Darknessss issn't alone?" Fajra asked.

"I'm not sure those two powers come from one source or two, but they are both coming from the tower. It's hard to see from here though," Dr. Julien said.

"Should we fly in closer?" Serpana asked.

"No. The Bounty must remain here until the others call us. But I'll go figure out what's going on," Dr. Julien said, as he took a small laptop that was next to the screen scanner.

"How will you get near the tower?/ It'll be dangeroussss to go alone," Fajra asked.

"I'll ask Malentha for a ride on her aerocycle. It shouldn't take us too long," Dr. Julien replied.

"Be careful Doctor," Serpana said.

"I will, and thank you," Dr. Julien said, and he left the room.

_On deck:_

Pythor was looking out towards the dark tower. He could almost see the battle going on outside of the tower. He also felt a presence not too far from himself, as he turned around to see nothing.

"Hmph, don't think you can hide from me, dear. I know your there," Pythor said, and a chuckle was heard as Anaca revealed herself from being invisible.

"You have such keen senses Pythor. Although being an Anacondrai would give you that advantage," Anaca said, as she kept her hands behind her back.

"What is it that you want, dear? Another threat? A fair warning?" Pythor asked, with a cheeky smile.

"Not this time, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me 'dear.' I came just to ask you something," Anaca said, with a neutral expression.

"I'm all ears," Pythor said.

"What do you plan to do after all of this? You have no backup with the Serpentine or Viporeans, and the ninja don't trust you. What are you planning to do after all of this is over?" Anaca asked.

Pythor took a moment to think, and then he chuckled as he slowly slithered around Anaca and replied,

"Suddenly worried about me, are you? I take that kindness to heart. But I don't intend to give up so easily. I may be helping the ninja and kunoichi now, but I won't be so easily hindered from my goals of world takeover... of course, the journey may be long, and quite exhausting for me... alone."

Pythor stood next to Anaca as he reached towards her, and placed his hand on her shoulder. Anaca turned towards him, with rage in her eyes and a threatening hiss from her mouth, as Pythor quickly backed up.

"Don't you DARE think I would betray my own family! We Viporeans are loyal and honest with integrity and decency. Don't think I'd give up my whole life for someone like YOU!" Anaca snarled, as Pythor quickly nodded while his neck was retracted back and his body was slightly shaking.

Anaca signed as she turned away from Pythor and said,

"Do what you wish. But don't cross me ever again."

Anaca slithered back to the entrance into the Bounty, while Pythor watched her go and then he turned away with an angered expression on his face. As she made it to the doorway, Anaca looked back at Pythor with a hint of sympathy, and then she continued her way inside.

As Anaca passed through the hallway, Malentha and Dr. Julien were heading her way.

"I need to get closer to scan the top of the tower," Dr. Julien said to Malentha.

"Well sure thing, gentle old man. Let's go. I haven't assisted the elderly in a while. Haha!" Malentha said as she laughed, while Dr. Julien shook his head with a smile.

"Where are you two heading?" Anaca asked when she reached them.

"Doctor here needs a closer range to scan the dark tower. I'm going to drive him up there with my aerocycle," Malentha replied, and Dr. Julien nodded.

"Be careful then. The battle already started," Anaca said.

"We will. Keep watch over the Bounty while we're gone Anaca. Will you?" Dr. Julien asked.

"Of course Doctor. I will keep watch for any distress signals," Anaca replied with a nod, and Dr. Julien nodded back.

Anaca headed into the control room, while Malentha and Dr. Julien headed to the top deck. Malentha got her aerocycle, as she and Dr. Julien hopped on. When the engine was warm enough, the two flew towards the top of the dark tower, as no one stood on deck.

**Sorry for taking so long with this next chapter. I was on a roll in writing my other story. Next chapter will come most likely sooner then this one. :D Yay.**


	120. Chapter 120 FA: Resurgence

**I decided to post this chapter earlier. Hooray for free time! **

_In the tower: _

The Ninja continued climbing up the tower. From the third floor to the sixth floor was a spiral staircase that spiraled around the tower walls, upward. Lizarians would jump down from the ceiling, and the Ninja fought them off and proceeded upward. As they approached the fifth floor, Lucy noticed an opening in the tower wall, where a lizarian decided to pop out from. She yelped and slammed him out of her way with her Platinum Staff to make him fall down to the third floor.

"Are you okay Lucy?" Raven asked, concerned since she yelled.

"Yeah. He just startled me," Lucy replied, as she exhaled in relief.

"There's an exit," Raven said, as she pointed to the opening in the wall.

"Yeah... but will you guys be alright if I go? I wouldn't want to leave you when you need me the most," Lucy asked.

"Go ahead Lucy. We'll be fine. _We_ have to finish this anyway," Lloyd said, as he stood next to Raven.

Lucy nodded with a confident smile, and then she cartwheeled through the large crack in the wall, while the others continued ascending.

Outside, Lucy was free falling down the tower, opposite side from where the others were. She planted her feet on her Platinum Staff, as water accumulated around it and her feet. With the Platinum Staff parallel to the tower, Lucy surfed downward on the tower, and then she made a U-turn as she stuck one of her hands on the ground, and swung her body around. She started surfing up the tower, until she reached the sixth floor, and then she turned to surf horizontal on the tower to get to the other side.

She started surfing downward, when she slowed down as she noticed two people approaching the others.

"-Gasp- They made it back!" Lucy said.

_Dr. Julien:_

Dr. Julien and Malentha drove on the aerocycle around a different path to the tower, so that no one on the battle field would notice. As they came close to the tower, they noticed two familiar figures flying towards them.

"Is that... Ultra dragon and Pearl? I wondered where those two went," Dr. Julien said.

"Where they've been? The battle is over here," Malentha said, as she drove ahead to meet the dragons.

The pairs met, and Dr. Julien asked, "Pearl, Ultra dragon. Where have you two been?"

The dragons answered with low octave roars, as Dr. Julien could see that they were troubled.

"Something's not sitting well with them, and if you know animals they always act out when something is definitely wrong," Malentha said, and Dr. Julien nodded.

"Malentha, go back to the Bounty. I'll stay with the dragons to scan the tower, and then go off to see what troubles them," Dr. Julien said.

"Your sure Doctor?" Malentha asked, and Dr. Julien replied, "I am."

Malentha drove just above Ultra dragon's back, as Dr. Julien hopped off of the aerocycle onto it. He waved at Malentha, and she waved back as she drove to the Bounty. Dr. Julien was able to get close enough to scan the tower, and while the information was processing, he let the dragons lead him to what was bothering them.

_Outside Tower:_

The Vampires and Ninja allies continued to fight against the Lizarians. After a while of fighting, Kerrie grew more impatient and frustrated from Terrin, who prevented her from cheating. Finally, Kerrie had enough of standing around, and when she spoke, the battle stopped.

"Alright, that's IT! I'm fighting this time! I'll take one to two of you on! No tricks, no games! NOW!"

Kerrie stepped forward in the center of the battlefield, as the surrounding fighters stepped back and formed a large circle around her.

"I handle this," Terrin said, as he stepped forward.

"Be careful, your highness," Misako said, and Terrin nodded as he continued walking forward until he stood in the circle.

In the centers of their own halves of the circle, Kerrie and Terrin stood in a momentary stare-down.

"So the King of Fountain Falls challenges the Crystal Master. I wonder who will win?" Kerrie said, as she slid her left leg out more, while holding her hands up in fists with crystal particles forming around them.

"Trust me Kerrie, this won't be a challenge, and I only acknowledge you as a Master of Deceit," Terrin said, as he brought forth a dagger with a black handle from thin air.

"Hold on!" A voice called from somewhere above, as everyone looked upward.

Descending from an aerocycle, in front of Terrin, Sensei Reine and Marcell had finally returned. Marcell was driving, while Sensei Reine was standing on her seat with her arms crossed.

"My dear, you've returned," Terrin said, and Reine turned towards him with a smile.

Then Reine turned her attention back to Kerrie with a very serious expression, and Kerrie also gave her the same look. As Reine hopped off the Aerocycle, Marcell got off the aerocycle and stood next to it while her hair shaded over her eyes. Although the other vampires were happy to see Marcell, they could sense a tension surrounding her, which prevented them from running over to her.

**The tension is real, and the cliffhanger is apparent. Marcell and Reine know something crucial about Kerrie...**

**In other news, which I mentioned in another story, I have an Undertale-based short story that I'm going to be posting up soon.**

**See ya soon, peoples. :)**


	121. Chapter 121 FA: Malign

"What's up with Marcell?" Luna whispered to Bronze.

"I'm not sure, but it seems as though she heard some bad news," Bronze said.

"Her silence reminds me of when she came back to us after she learned about Lucy being held prisoner," Stephen whispered to them.

"What brings you here Reine? Did you know I was ready to fight?" Kerrie asked.

"Kerrie, your fight will be with no other but Marcell," Sensei Reine said, as the others around, even the Lizarians, were surprised.

Kerrie's eye narrowed, and she asked, "Why suddenly choose my battle?"

Marcell replied, in a low tone without looking at Kerrie, "You know _very_ well why."

A realization hit Kerrie, as her expression stood serious, but a drop of sweat slide down from the side of her face.

"Let's act as though I have no idea what your getting at," Kerrie said, as she placed one hand on her hip.

Sensei Reine signed, and then she said, "Kerrie, Time Sensei showed us the Past orb from the outside so she was able to select certain times she wanted to show us. We saw a person in a dark hood cast the vampire curse on a traveler village forty years ago. That same person who cast the curse disappeared when the vampires were too powerful to be controlled. They hid themselves for years and eventually found the Time Sensei..."

Sensei Reine held her hands behind her back, and continued, "Time Sensei took them in to help them since they were weary from traveling and hiding, although she was unaware at the time that they were the caster of the curse. Eventually this person learned of the Gem of Ages, and used the gem to turn their self younger. Time Sensei caught them in the act, and she was able to get the Gem of Ages away from them, but she wasn't able to see their young face since they wore the dark hood and escaped. Time Sensei then hid the Gem of Ages for a long time after that, so that no one would use it carelessly or for devious reasons..."

Sensei Reine's eyes narrowed, and she continued, "After escaping, the young person traveled further until they stumbled upon a school where they were accepting children who had no homes or anywhere to turn to. They enlisted as a student, and much later were going to become a Sensei, but they were kicked out of the school when Time Sensei realized that they left another student to die… and even when that student later was kind to them… she still sealed her in a crystal prison."

A stillness overcame everyone, as many of the vampires began to tremble whether it was their hands, feet, or both. Sensei Wu, Sensei Garmadon, Nya, and Misako were very surprised by the revelation, as their eyes widened. The Lizarians were focused on what was being said, since someone else was listening through some of them. Kerrie kept silent, as she slowly breathed in and out, knowing that the truth was actually realized.

"I see you still kept the dark hood you wore all those years ago when you used the curse on the vampires," Sensei Reine said, as the vampires stiffened.

Kerrie touched her hood with one hand, and then she snickered and said, "How perceptive of you Reine. So you finally know the truth. Time Sensei really finished the Past, Present, and Future orbs like she said she would. Well then, it's no use denying it... It was me. I used the curse forty years ago on the vampires and went on the run for years later until I found Time Sensei."

The admittance of her crime, brought trembling among half of the vampires as they fell on their knees in woe, while the other half stood up with their hands formed into fists and their fangs showing. Unbeknownst to everyone, Marcell had her hand in her pocket with her pink cell phone, since she called Violet to let her hear Kerrie admitting the truth.

In Aeroplane, a cry of rage and sadness was heard, as Violet punched the ground while Dareth and Tempura were surprised by the news and at her outburst. As Violet cried out, Dareth and Tempura heard her mention having an older brother, and how he had died by her hands since she lost all control of herself when she first changed into a vampire by the curse.

Her brother died from trying to stop her from hurting other people, and because he wasn't yet a full vampire since the curse worked slower in some than others.

Dareth comforted Violet, as she cried into his chest. Tempura was able to get Violet's cell phone and hang up, as she sent a text to Marcell, informing her that Violet received the news.

Marcell looked at her phone and read the text, and then she tucked it away in her pocket. She stepped forward next to Sensei Reine, facing the woman who made her people suffer for much longer than she was the Vampire Queen.

"You… YOU! YOU DID THIS TO US!" Stephen hissed, glaring at Kerrie.

"You monster! YOU MADE US INTO MONSTERS!" Luna yelled out, with a snarl.

"We couldn't be with our families anymore. We had to leave them so that they would be safe! You made us leave them! YOU MADE US LEAVE THEM BEHIND!" Bronze hollered.

"I watched my family live their lives. I watched my parents die, my siblings grow up, and their kids grow up without me! YOU RIPPED US OUT OF OUR LIVES!" Andrex screamed out, as tears began to develop around his eyes, as well as the others.

"My family, my friends! I watched them live on without me… I watched my husband live and die without me..." One of the female vampires said, as she stood on her knees crying.

"I hurt my friends when I first became a vampire because I had no control..." One of the male vampires said, as he also stood on his knees crying.

It dawned on Luna, Andrex, Stephen, and Bronze that Violet suffered horribly too since her brother was accidentally killed, and her family eventually died out which left her alone.

Marcell took a few steps forward, as the area became silence, besides the cries of some of the vampires. Then Marcell spoke to Kerrie, while finally looking at her with a stoic expression,

"Your a pretty twisted and messed up character Kerrie. Maybe you were raised like that, maybe you enjoy it, or maybe someone hurt you and you wanted to hurt everyone. That would make sense as to why you wanted an army to rule the world… but let me ask… Why? Why didn't you break the curse already? I can understand that you weren't strong enough before to challenge a vampire and survive, but I don't understand why you kept us in this curse. It would have been easier for you to break the curse and fight us as humans then to let us stay as vampires where we are still strong. You tactical Kerrie, I'm sure you considered to break the curse to make us into regular humans before, so why didn't you?"

After a moment of silence, Kerrie slowly smiled and gestured her arm towards the distressed and angered vampires. Then Kerrie replied, with an amused smirk,

"Don't you see Marcell? Look how they suffer. If I would have fought you before and lost, or fought Lucy in the tower and lost, then I would have missed the opportunity to watch them break down in rage and heartbreak before me. Don't you see how nice it is to watch suffering and anguish?"

Marcell looked at Kerrie with disgust and anger, as Sensei Reine held her composer from the disgust she felt inside from Kerrie's answer. Nya grew furious at Kerrie, although Sensei Wu prevented her from acting by moving his stick in front of her. Marcell raised her voice, as she brought forth her dagger and said,

"What is wrong with you?! Why are you so heartless and cruel?! Why are you crazy?!"

Kerrie's eyebrow raised, as her arms spread out to her sides and she said, "Because I'm evil. I'm Freaking EVIL! I enjoy people suffering because I LIKE it. I'm EVIL, you fool!"

Kerrie's hands became encased in crystal, as Marcell brought forth a second dagger. The two ran towards one another, as their fight began.

At first, Marcell and Kerrie were holding their grounds, as Marcell's daggers and Kerrie's crystal hands came into contact. They were pushing each other back and forth to gain the upper hand over the other, but Kerrie took an extra step with her right foot, as she formed a cluster of crystal under Marcell's feet. The cluster popped upward, as Marcell was thrown upward in mid-air. Kerrie threw a small, sharp crystal shard at Marcell, however, Marcell was able to do a back-flip in mid-air and deflect the attack. Marcell landed on the ground, but she immediately side-stepped out of the way when Kerrie brought up a crystal spike from the cluster that stood on the ground to attack. Then Kerrie took the solidified crystal spike and made it separate into mini shards. She sent the mini shards like a wave after Marcell, as the Vampire Queen dodged the shard wave and threw other daggers she carried at Kerrie. Marcell was only scrapped on the back of her leg by the shard wave, while Kerrie was cut on her shoulder by a dagger.

Then Kerrie surrounded Marcell with crystal spikes to keep her in one place, as she ran over while creating a crystal sword. Marcell would have jumped out of the way, but her foot was being held on the ground by the mini shards that scrapped her foot. Kerrie jumped up and was going to come down on Marcell with a slash attack from her sword.

"Long live the Queen!" Kerrie said, with a wild grin, as she came closer to Marcell.

However, Marcell smirked, as Kerrie noticed but she couldn't stop herself. Marcell bent down on one knee as she held her arms crossed over her in an 'X' shape while her upper body was bend a little back. Suddenly, a foot landed on Marcell's crossed arms, as the person who landed on Marcell blocked Kerrie and her crystal sword with a water staff.

"Don't think your getting out of this so easy Kerrie," Lucy whispered with furrowed eyebrows, as Kerrie looked at her in shock.

Lucy pushed Kerrie back with an upward water slash, as the crystal user went flying back, but then she did a back-flip to land on the ground with both feet. The crystal spikes around Marcell and Lucy retreated back to Kerrie, and Lucy jumped down from Marcell's arms. Marcell stood up and stretched her neck one way and then the other, as she held her daggers, backhanded.

"You came just in time Lucy. Although, I could have gotten out," Marcell said, with a small smile, and Lucy slightly chuckled.

"I'm sure you would have gotten out _unscathed_, right?" Lucy asked, as Marcell moved her dagger in a so-so response.

Lucy and Marcell stood in fighting stances side-by-side, as they faced Kerrie, who had a more annoyed expression.

"So you both want to challenge me? That doesn't seem fair," Kerrie said, with one hand on her hip and a lazy look in her eyes.

"I believe you told us earlier, that you would take one to two of us on," Terrin said, as Kerrie looked at him with irritation.

Then she lowered her head to think, and after a moment she smiled wickedly and said,

"You know what? Fine! This is fine! I'll **kill** two birds with one stone AFTERALL! Ah hahahahahaaa!"

Kerrie formed all of the crystal around her into a spiked ball with a long chain that she would hold.

"Let's go, foolish monarchs!" Kerrie said, with a wild look in her eyes.

Marcell and Lucy were unfazed by Kerrie's madness, as they stood together.

"Time to end this madness," Marcell said.

"And save our people," Lucy said, as the real battle began.

**Yes, Kerrie is evil. Yes, Lucy and Marcell must fight her. Yes, this is a cliffhanger. Yes, the first few chapters of my Undertale-based story has been posted already. And Yes, your all awesome. **

**See ya next chapter peeps. :D**


	122. Chapter 122 FA: Enforced Compliance

_In the tower:_

Auria, Zane, Lloyd, and Raven stood on the floor before the top floor. They were looking upward, seeing that another elevator was the only way to reach the top floor.

"What's with these weird elevators?" Raven asked, and the other three just shrugged.

"We're not alone in here," Auria said, hearing creaking from the shadows of the dark room that only had a spotlight in the center area.

"You two need to go ahead. We'll handle whatever lurks here," Zane said, as he and Auria took out their twin weapons.

"Are you two sure you'll be okay?" Lloyd asked.

"We will Lloyd. Will you two be okay?" Auria asked.

Raven and Lloyd looked towards one another, as they nodded in unison.

"We'll be okay as long as we stick together," Raven said, standing closer to Lloyd as he added,

"And we don't plan to be apart, ever."

Auria and Zane smiled and nodded towards them. Then they all ran to the elevator, as they waited for the doors to slide open. The Lizarians that stood hidden in the shadows reacted when they stepped out from the spotlight. Four Lizarians lunged forth at them, as Auria and Zane attacked all of them with a combined wind and ice attack that created a blizzard to blow them away and injure them.

The elevator doors opened, as Lloyd and Raven quickly entered inside and pressed the button to the next floor above. They watched Auria and Zane stand guard of the elevator, as they fought off a few other lizarians that were trying to attack them.

"Be safe Auria! Zane!" Raven called out, as the elevator doors started to close.

Auria and Zane turned to Raven and Lloyd as they smiled at them.

"We'll be okay as long as we stick together," Auria said.

"And we don't plan to be apart, ever," Zane said, as the doors closed while Lloyd and Raven smiled back.

As Lloyd and Raven traveled up the elevator, Auria and Zane ran back to the center spotlight. They stood back-to-back as they attacked whatever Lizarians stepped into the spotlight to fight them. As they stood in their positions and were taking down many Lizarians, Zane heard a ring, as he reached over to his arm and answered a phone call from Dr. Julien.

"Hello, father. Is something wrong? Are you okay?" Zane asked, as he back-slapped a red-eyed lizarian with his shurikin when it came too close to him.

"Zane! I'm fine, but where is Lloyd and Raven? Did they get to the top of the tower?" Dr. Julien asked in a rush.

"Yes. They just made it," Zane replied, while Auria drop-kicked an orange-eyed lizarian back into a few other Lizarians.

"Oh no! I didn't call in time. Darkness isn't on the top floor. I'm tracking him down right now with the dragons," Dr. Julien said.

"What? Darkness isn't here?" Zane asked to clarify, as Auria looked at him in surprise.

"No. He's not there. His power is influencing the area, but he's not actually there," Dr. Julien replied.

"It was a trap," Auria said.

"A distraction. I believe Darkness left the tower to enact another plan. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm going to try to find out," Dr. Julien said.

"Don't get into trouble father! Please stay away from him," Zane said, with much concern.

"I'll be fine Zane. I'm with the dragons, so if there's any trouble, they'll let me know," Dr. Julien said.

"But, if Darkness isn't up there, then who is?" Auria asked.

_Top Floor of the Tower:_

Lloyd and Raven entered the final floor when the elevator doors slid open. The room looked larger then the other rooms below, and the same spotlight stood in the center area. The two slowly walked towards the center spotlight, as they stood a quarter of the way into the light, since they were very suspicious of the room they were in.

"Darkness! Are you there?! Come out!" Lloyd called out.

"Wait… wait a minute! Darkness isn't here!" Raven said.

"What?" Lloyd asked.

"I can sense much better now that we're in this room. I couldn't sense very well on the floors below, something prevented me from sensing anything from this room besides dark energy," Raven replied, as she looked around the room cautiously.

Then they heard footsteps walking towards them from one side of the shadows, as Lloyd and Raven stood on guard. Glowing red eyes were seen in the shadows, as they came closer to the light.

"P-Please… p-please..." the person with the red eyes said, as they stepped into the light.

Lloyd and Raven took a step back in shock, as they saw their friend standing before them with shadow claws embedded on his hands and up his arms, as well as his legs and feet. Half of his face was encompassed in shadow around his right eye, while a white fang stood in one side of his mouth.

"Ryan," Lloyd said in an almost whisper to see his friend suffering.

"No," Raven said, as she covered her mouth with her hands.

"P-Please run. D-Don't stay here. D-Darkness is forcing me… t-to do his b-bidding. P-Please go, or stop me… for good," Ryan said, as he held a painful expression on his face, as his hand raised up and dark energy accumulated in that hand.

"No! Ryan, we won't do that!" Lloyd said.

"W-We can't. We can't k-k..." Raven said, but she couldn't finish her sentence.

"Don't l-let me hurt you! I have no control! I-It's taking almost all of my strength… t-to even talk to you t-two! P-Please stop me before… before I d-do s-something I'll r-regret," Ryan said, as his other arm raised without his consent, as more dark energy accumulated in that hand.

"No. NO! We're not going to kill you! We'll save you! That's what we're meant to do!" Lloyd said, as golden energy gathered in his now raised and clenched fists.

"That's right. We promised Silva that we would bring you back to her! And we're bringing you back alive!" Raven said, as she took a step forward while holding one of her now clenched fists up while silver energy gathered into her fists.

Ryan looked at them in surprise and sadness, as he said, "I want to b-believe in you t-two… P-Please… if I become too difficult… d-don't hesitate… I w-will understand..."

Ryan shot a beam of dark energy at Lloyd and Raven as they dodged. Then they ran towards Ryan, as they attacked with fists full of energy and Ryan blocked with both hands. The battle to save a life and break free from the Dark Tower began.

…

**Well, that escalated into a cliff hanger quickly. **

**See ya soon. **


	123. Chapter 123 FA: Breaking the Tower

_Lower levels of the Dark Tower:_

"RAAHH!" the last lizarian on the first floor yelled, as Cole smacked him away with an Earth slash from his scythe.

Cole and Christa stood together back-to-back as the last lizarian melted away into shadows, and then the shadows evaporated. They stood a moment longer on guard, to be sure that the lizarians on that floor were gone, and then they signed in relief and relaxed their shoulders and bodies.

"We finally got them down," Christa said, and Cole turned towards her and said,

"Yeah. We beat'em good."

The two gave each other high-five, and then they started walking towards the elevator that led to the next floor.

"I hope the others are okay," Christa said, in concern.

Cole reached for Christa's hand, as he tugged her closer towards him as they continued to walk.

"Don't worry Christa. They're strong too. I'm sure they're fine," Cole said, and he and Christa exchanged a smile.

Christa leaned her head on Cole's shoulder as they waited for the elevator.

"Thank you Cole. I'm glad I have you to put my mind at ease," Christa said.

"Your welcome, and I'm glad that your still as sweet as can be," Cole said, and Christa smiled lovingly towards him and he smiled back.

The elevator doors opened, and they both entered, as Cole pressed the button for the second floor. When the doors opened, Cole and Christa immediately held out their weapons in attack mode and stepped outside of the elevator. They were surprised to see Flare, Kai, and Jay giving a triple high-five together, as they stood in the center of the room while three lizarians were fading into shadows around them.

"We knocked them OUUUT!" Kai said, as he pretended to play air guitar when saying 'out.'

"Oh yeah! We're freaking awesome!" Flare said, as she punched upward.

"That was amazing! We all used our Full Potentials at the same time without even planning it, and then we Spinjitzu'd them to OBLIVION! That was epic! It was like our elements were working as one!" Jay said, gesturing each sentence with his hands, and Kai and Flare nodded.

Then the three heard an 'Ah hem,' as they turned to see Cole and Christa looking at them: Cole with his arms crossed and an unamused facial expression, and Christa with her hands on her hips and an amused facial expression. Jay, Kai, and Flare slightly blushed, while they chuckled and rubbed the back of their heads, sheepishly.

"We got pretty over excited, didn't we?" Flare asked, and Christa replied,

"Yup."

"Well, at least you guys are safe," Cole said, and he and Christa approached their friends, as they all came together in a circle.

"Yeah. The others went up ahead, but we agreed to find a way outside so that we can help fight Kerrie," Kai said, and Christa and Cole nodded.

"Let's go up first to make sure our team is alright," Christa suggested, and the group agreed.

The five continued up to the next floors to find the other ninja and kunoichi,

_Top floor of the tower:_

"I got you!" Lloyd yelled out, as he grabbed Raven around the waist with one arm and continued running to dodge an attack.

Raven continued shooting Silver beams at Ryan, while he was blocking them with one hand, and shooting dark beams with the other at them. Finally, one of Raven's beams were able to land a hit on him, as Ryan was pushed back a few steps, and Lloyd stopped running.

Then Lloyd and Raven shot two beams at him, one of gold and one of silver. They noticed that, as the attack came closer to Ryan, the golden and silver energies started to fuse together, which created a larger beam of Platinum that shot forth. Ryan blocked the attack with both arms, but he was pushed back far, almost to the wall. When some of the dust cleared, Lloyd and Raven noticed how the darkness that enveloped Ryan's hands were actually damaged by the Platinum beam.

"That's it!" Lloyd said, as he let Raven stand on her own.

"We weren't strong enough to penetrate that darkness on him alone..." Raven said.

"But together, along with the Platinum power, we could set him free," Lloyd said, and they looked towards one another, as they nodded and then dispersed.

Ryan slowly moved his arms away from his face, as he started closing his hands into fists since he felt he was regaining control of his hands. However, he felt a heavy pressure on his arms, as the darkness tried to resurface around his arms to lock him into control. Ryan tried to fight back, as he kept his hands down and closed into fists, while the darkness tried to make him lift his hands up and open his clenched palms.

"N-No! I'm in c-control... of myself!" Ryan said, as he struggled against the darkness, but it was slowly overpowering him.

"L-Lloyd… R-Raven… do something now!" Ryan said, as he kept himself in place with all of his might.

"We're on it!" Lloyd said, as he started running towards Ryan from his right, as Raven started running towards Ryan from his left.

"We got one shot! Let's do it!" Raven said, as she and Lloyd ran faster towards Ryan.

"Ninjaaa… GOOO!" Raven and Lloyd said, as they used Spinjitzu and continued heading towards Ryan in Golden and Silver tornadoes.

On contact, Lloyd and Raven's tornadoes merged into a large platinum one that almost reached the 'ceiling' of the room. Ryan stood in the middle of the tornado, as he looked up and was amazed by the power being displayed before him. He saw the swirls of Platinum circling around him in various forms of the other elements, such as fire, lightning, earth, ice, shadow, water, sound, and wind. He also saw a few strands of gold and silver circling around the tornado.

As he watched the tornado spin around him, he felt the darkness that wrapped around his body being torn off and repelled from him into the tornado. The darkness was cut up into pieces and obliterated, while a gurgling shriek was heard from it. Ryan felt the weight of the darkness totally lifted off of him, as he could feel again, and was moving his hands through his own free will. Then he saw that the tornado was slowing down and was about to disappear, when a wave of platinum shot towards his eyes. He was hit and fell on his back, while his hood was pushed down from the hit, revealing his light brown and brown stripped hair that reached just passed his shoulders with bangs that just covered over his eyes.

After the tornado stopped, Raven and Lloyd stopped spinning, as they stood before each other. They looked towards one another and smiled to see that they were okay. Then they looked towards Ryan and quickly ran over to him to see if he was okay. Lloyd stood on one knee on Ryan's left, while Raven stood on both knees on Ryan's right. Lloyd and Raven each held Ryan up by placing one of their arms under his shoulders. Raven used her other hand to move Ryan's bangs off of his face, as she could feel his breath on her hand.

"He's breathing. He's still alive," Raven said, thankfully.

Lloyd signed in relief and said, "Thank goodness."

Then Ryan began to stir, as his eyes tightened a little more closed, and he gritted his teeth.

"Uhhh… ow. My body hurts," Ryan said coolly, as his face relaxed.

"Sorry about that bud. Besides that, are you okay?" Lloyd asked, as he and Raven smiled to see that Ryan was awake.

"Yeah… I'm alright," Ryan said, as he opened his eyes while blinking a few times.

Raven and Lloyd gasped, as they saw that Ryan's eyes were no longer red, but platinum-colored.

"R-Ryan, your eyes they're… they're not red," Lloyd said, as Ryan looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, they changed, they're platinum," Raven said, as Ryan looked towards her with raised eyebrows.

"Help me sit," Ryan said, eagerly, as Lloyd and Raven helped him sit up.

"Do any of you have a mirror?" Ryan asked.

"I could create one," Lloyd said, as he accumulated golden energy in his hands and created a small round mirror with golden edges.

Lloyd handed Ryan the mirror, as Ryan looked at his reflection and saw that his eyes were indeed platinum. He snickered and said,

"They're back to normal."

Lloyd and Raven looked at Ryan in surprise, and Lloyd asked, "What do you mean 'back to normal?"

"My eyes are originally platinum-colored. But when I entered the Forbidden Wilderness, it changed to red. Oh… I guess I forgot to mention to you what my original eye-color was, huh Lloyd?" Ryan replied, and Lloyd nodded.

"Wow, that's ironically amazing, since we used Platinum power to save you," Raven said, and Ryan nodded slowly.

Then they heard a gust of wind from around them, as the ceiling and walls disappeared, while the dark purple clouds disappeared, and the sky returned to normal. Since it was still night, the sky was dark, but the moon and stars shone bright enough, and even reflected on the floor that they stood on.

"What just happened?" Lloyd asked, as he looked around while he felt the wind softly blow through his hair.

"It just disappeared. As if the top floor was never here… Darkness must have added this floor here with his powers," Raven said, as she and Lloyd helped Ryan to stand up.

"… Oh no," Ryan almost whispered, although the two heard him.

"What's the matter?" Lloyd asked.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked.

"Darkness… his plan… his _true_ plan. He's going to activate **it**," Ryan said, as Lloyd and Raven looked at him in surprise and question.

**This is cliffhanger to the max, but it must be done. Don't worry, the next chapter won't take long for me to upload. Some time at the end of this week it will be up. ;)**

**See ya soon. :)**


	124. Chapter 124 FA: First Victory

_Outside_:

"You won't defeat me!" Kerrie shouted, as she threw seven crystal spears at Marcell and Lucy, who dodged and deflected the spears.

Kerrie had cuts on her arms and shoulders with a diagonal cut on the bottom of her left cheek, and a deeper wound on her right calf. Lucy had a cut on her left shoulder, and a few cuts on her legs. Marcell had a cut across her right cheek with cuts and scratches on her left leg, and a deeper cut on her right arm. They were fighting brilliantly, deflecting and dodging, as the others watched anxiously.

"Kerrie, your freaking done! Your leg is jacked up pretty much and there's no where to run!" Marcell said, as she was walking towards Kerrie while deflecting crystal shards that were heading her way with her dagger.

Kerrie grit her teeth with furrowed brows and narrowed eyes, as she kept throwing shards at Marcell. Then Kerrie decided to use her trump card, since Marcell was closer towards her, while Lucy stood a few feet behind her towards her right. With a dark grin overcoming her facial expression, Kerrie lifted her arms up and four crystal shards rose up around Marcell in a square shape. A circle of crystal began to form and spin around Marcell's ankles, as she looked at it in surprise. Lucy recognized the technique, as she gasped and started running straight towards her sister.

Sensei Reine cringed when she recognized that Kerrie was going to use the Crystal Prison on Marcell with Lucy trying to save her. She brought forth a small metal baton that extended long, and she was going to run to attack Kerrie. However, Terrin grabbed her shoulders to prevent her from doing so.

"Don't go. Let them handle this," Terrin said, and Reine protested,

"But Terrin, I can't let that happen to them t-too."

Reine held back the tears slowly accumulating under her eyes, as Terrin wrapped one arm around her waist and leaned the side of his head on her own.

"I know, my dear Reine, but I believe she can do it," Terrin said, as they watched what happened next.

Lucy's grip on her staff tightened as she ran towards Marcell with water swirling around her, while Kerrie sent crystal shards at her. Marcell turned and saw that the shards were heading close to Lucy, and she yelled,

"Get back Lucy!"

However, Lucy ran quicker as her eyes narrowed and she yelled, "I won't let her HURT YOU!"

Lucy's eyes glowed golden cyan, as the swirling water 'flowed' immediately towards her, and she became the embodiment of water:

Her hair turned into blue-colored water, while the rest of her body became cyan-colored water. She wore a cyan-colored scarf, that had multiple shades of blue on the ends, and a white belt across her waist. Her feet flowed outward like roots, and shot forth water to help her move quicker and keep her afloat, and stripes of water flowed from the sides of her hands and arms.

In awe of such magnificence, Kerrie and Marcell's jaws dropped, as did everyone else.

"Her Full Potential has been fully realized!" Sensei Wu said, with a smile.

"She did it… I'm so proud," Sensei Reine said, as a single tear rolled down her cheek, while Terrin gently caught it.

Lucy rose her hand upward, as Marcell was wrapped in water around her waist and hoisted up from the crystal trap, which stopped the crystal from forming any more into the prison. Then Lucy surfed straight to Kerrie without having to use her staff, as she grabbed Kerrie by the collar and lifted her a few feet in the air.

"You will no longer hurt my family or friends! Take your defeat..." Lucy said, as she let her Water Staff suspend in mid-air, while she balled her hand into a water-intensified fist.

Kerrie gulped, as Lucy pulled back her fist and let it bounce forward right to Kerrie's face while saying,

"AND DRINK IT!"

Kerrie went flying back straight onto the double doors of the Dark Tower, as her whole back hit right on it, and then she fell down on the ground, leaving a dent in her shape on the doors. She groaned a bit, as she temporarily knocked out, and the crystals around the area disappeared into the ground. A momentary silence followed, and then the cheers of the Ninja allies filled the air as the Lizarians started backing away slowly.

However, Lucy turned towards the Lizarians, as she raised one hand up, and they were all wrapped in large water-formed hands. She closed her hand into a fist, as the water-formed hands instantly crushed the Lizarians into nothing more than shadows that disappeared. The hands seemingly melted into the ground as they disappeared, while Lucy finally planted her feet on the ground.

Her form returned to normal, as she gently shook her head to ease her mind. She turned to everyone and rubbed the back of her head with a big grin and said,

"Hee hee. That was pretty fun."

Marcell ran over to Lucy and almost tackled her into a hug. She raised her sister up, as Lucy's legs waved in the air while the two sisters were laughing. The other vampires ran to Lucy and Marcell, as they cheered and clapped with happy tears rolling down their faces. Marcell placed Lucy back on the ground, as she high-fived and hugged her Vampire people.

"Aw guys. I'm just glad your all okay," Lucy said to her people.

"Alright, alright, that's enough hugging and whatever," Marcell said with a smile, as everyone calmed down, while the Vampires wiped their faces of their tears.

"Lucy!" Silva's voice called out suddenly, as everyone turned to see Silva running towards them.

"Silva. What are you doing here? Your hands..." Misako said, as she noticed that only one of Silva's hands were bandaged, but she looked fine.

"I'm fine. I need to get up that tower. My son is up there! I can feel it!" Silva said, as she came to a stop a few feet away from the vampires.

"-Gasp!- Ryan. I'll take you up there now!" Lucy said, and she jumped up as she brought up her Water staff to her feet and surfed forward.

Silva jumped up behind Lucy, as she planted her feet on the staff and held onto Lucy's shoulders.

"Be careful Sis!" Marcell called out, as Lucy surfed upward with Silva to the tower.

"I will Sista!" Lucy called back, as she continued surfing around the tower to get to the opening where she first escaped from.

As everyone cheered Lucy and Silva on, Sensei Garmadon looked towards the tower doors. His eyes widened when he noticed nothing, as well as King Terrin when he noticed the same thing. Sensei Reine looked back at Terrin when she felt the arm he held around her waist stiffen. She looked where he was looking, as her eyes narrowed and she removed herself from Terrin's grasp. She walked over to the area in front of the tower doors, as she saw that no one was there.

"She left..." Sensei Reine said, as she saw no trace of Kerrie, besides the dent in the double doors of the tower.

"Guys, are you okay?" Nya asked, as Sensei Reine turned around and saw that the Vampires had their hands on their heads and were shaking.

"Something is… weird," Marcell said, as she shook her head a few times, but the dizziness wasn't leaving her mind.

"They're… reverting back," Terrin speculated, as the others stood back, while the Vampires were changing.

_In the Tower_:

Lucy and Silva entered the tower, as they stood near the upper-half of the spiral staircase. They started to ascend, but they stopped when Lucy couldn't take another step forward and was breathing hard.

"What's the matter Lucy? Are you alright?" Silva asked, with concern.

"I feel… funny..." Lucy said, as she was swaying in a small circle while placing her hands on the sides of her head.

Lucy knelt down on one knee, as Silva was about to approach her but she stopped. A translucent shadow rose up from Lucy's body, as it stood floating above her. It looked similar to Lucy, although it was all dark and it's eyes were red rings with pearly-white fangs. Silva looked at the translucent shadow in confusion, as it looked up at her and closed it's eyes with a sad smiled. As sudden as it appeared, the shadow disappeared into nothingness. Lucy shook her head, and she looked up while blinking a few times. As Lucy slowly lifted herself up, Silva snapped out of her surprise and helped her stand up.

"Lucy, are you okay? I don't know what that shadowy thing was but… oh my… Lucy, your hands, your face… your not pale anymore," Silva said, as she examined Lucy's hands and face.

Lucy examined her hands, as she felt more alive and could breathe much better.

"Oh my gosh… I'm… I'm human again. I'm really human again!" Lucy shouted with delight, as she hugged Silva and lifted her up while spinning around.

"Yes that's wonderful child, but please put me down!" Silva said, with a half-smile, and Lucy set her down.

"Sorry, I'm just so happy! HA HA! I'm back to life! Yay! -Gasp- I need to tell Ryan! -Gasp!- We need to get to Ryan! LET'S GO!" Lucy said, as she grabbed Silva by her arm and shoulder and started running up the stairs so fast that Silva's feet weren't even touching the ground.

**The Vampires are humans again! And the tower climb is almost complete! But are the Ninja prepared for what Ryan is going to reveal? **

**As for the one who asked about Lloyd and Raven before… well… maybe there will be a surprise later… ;) **

**See ya soon. :D**

**0%**


	125. Chapter 125 FA: The True Plan

_Floor below the Top of the tower_:

The room where Auria and Zane were in had finally brightened up when they defeated all thirty lizarians that were hidden around the dark walls. The last one was tricky since he hid on the ceiling, but Auria was able to sense his movement as she instructed Zane on where to attack and he shot an ice shard at it.

"That's that huh?" Auria said, as she twirled her fans in her hands.

"Yes. That was the last one. Let's go up ahead," Zane said, and Auria nodded.

"Hey guys! Wait up!" Jay called, as he and the other Ninja came up the stairs to the room.

"Oh thank goodness your all alright," Auria said, as she and Zane approached the others.

Christa hugged Auria as she hugged back.

"We cleared out the other floors below, and we figured you might need our help," Christa said.

"But it looks like you two took care of that," Flare said, with a nod.

"Where's Lloyd and Raven?" Kai asked Zane.

"They went up ahead to challenge Darkness," Zane replied.

"Then why are we standing around, let's go!" Cole said, and the Ninja quickly headed to the elevator.

As the doors closed, Flare sensed what was happening on the floor above, and her expression grew into confusion.

"What's up Flare?" Kai asked when he noticed her expression.

"Darkness isn't up there..." Flare said, as she sensed three presences filled with light.

The elevator doors opened before anyone could ask what Flare meant, as they stepped out of it and felt wind on their faces. They looked ahead and saw Lloyd, Raven, and Ryan standing together on the center of the roof. The Ninja quickly ran over to them.

"Lloyd! Raven! Ryan?!" Christa called, as the three turned towards them.

"You guys found him," Jay said, referring to Ryan, as the Ninja stood before the three.

"Yeah. Darkness wasn't here, but he used his powers on Ryan to make him attack us," Lloyd said.

"We were able to save him with platinum power, and release this tower from Darkness' influence," Raven said.

"But it's not over yet. As I was just about to explain to Lloyd and Raven, Darkness is going to activate his _true_ plan," Ryan said, as the Ninja noticed that his eyes were Platinum-colored.

Ryan arched an eyebrow and answered the unspoken question, "I was born with this eye-color."

"Ooohh," The Ninja said in unison as they relaxed, and then they became more attentive to what Ryan was going to say.

"Alright, let me explain, and try to keep your questions at a minimum since there may not be much time," Ryan said, as Kai nudged Jay's shoulder, and Jay looked at him with furrowed brows and nudged back.

"Tell us what is going on," Auria said, as she waved her hand at Kai and Jay to stop messing around.

Ryan breathed in and out, as he knew that this information may surprise them, and then he breathed in and began,

"While being controlled by Darkness, I could feel his true intentions and see in glimpses what his true plan is. He doesn't want to rule the world like he stated in the Evil meeting, no… he wants to get revenge on the world for taking everything away from him and abandoning him as a monster. Darkness… wants our world to become what he had become… broken, empty... He's planning to destroy our whole world, and he's going to use the machine that he made the Vampires and Serpentine build in parts to do so. He's assembled it out in the desert somewhere, and he added extra parts of his own design and power. He'll be able to easily survive it's destructive power… but no one else…"

Silence could only be heard from the group, as they all grew pale, while the wind passed by as though it didn't hear what Ryan had just said. Ryan continued,

"That's why he sent the people he assembled at the Evil meeting to round up all the citizens of Ninjago and the other villages to the underground… he already sent them to their burials so that he wouldn't have to clean up when the machine fires. That's why he tried to get all or any of you to join him beforehand so that he would know who to send away to keep them alive while destroying everyone else. Seeing as none of you agreed to it, he's just going to destroy everything then."

After a while longer of silence, since they were waiting to see if Ryan had anything more to add, the Ninja realized he was finished as they all looked away to take in what he said:

Kai turned away with his hand on his forehead, as he shook his head, while beads of sweat trickled from the side of his temple.

Flare looked upward towards the sky, as she placed her hands on her face and breathed out to try to relieve the tension she felt inside.

Cole turned and walked a few feet away as he placed his hands over his eyes, and was breathing in and out slowly to calm himself.

Christa didn't move from her spot as she looked downward and placed one hand over her mouth, while her other arm wrapped around her waist, as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

Zane turned away as he looked towards the ground with a sorrowful expression on his face, and he placed his hand on his arm while his grip tightened and his teeth were clenched.

Auria closed her eyes and breathed slowly, as she held a sad expression on her face, while she tilted her head downward and to the side.

Jay stood almost frozen in place, as he tried to speak but his voice made no sound, while tears accumulated around his eyes. He closed his mouth while he bit his lip, as a lone tear rolled down his cheek.

Raven stood in place, as her lip slightly quivered and two tears rolled down her cheeks. She closed her eyes and turned her face away, as her hands clenched into fists as well as her teeth.

Lloyd lowered his head, as his hair covered over his eyes. His teeth were gritted, and his shoulders were tense while his hands were curled into fists and slightly shaking.

Ryan kept his expression calm, as his eyes softened into sadness while he watched the Ninja's silent shock and sorrow being expressed before him. He looked downward as he quietly signed, while he clenched a fist on his chest.

As everyone silently took in this devastating information, they reflected on how far they had gotten through their journey, realizing how many hardships, trouble, surprises, and close-to-death-encounters they had dealt with and overcome. It seemed to not mean as much if their whole world was about to be destroyed with them too.

Did all of their trials and troubles mean nothing?

Did overcoming all of those hardships really help?

Does anything have meaning anymore if they were all going to be eradicated together?

These thoughts and feelings swept around everyone in the room, as they felt discouraged while half of them began to let their tears fall with no shame.

However, hearing the mumbling cries of his fellow Ninja, Lloyd couldn't bear to hear them suffer anymore. He shook his head, as he raised his head up with tears clearly shown on his face while taking a few steps forward towards where the desert was. The ninja, kunoichi, and Ryan looked towards Lloyd, as they saw him facing towards the desert with a determination in his heart that could be seen almost radiating from his eyes.

As they all looked at him, each one began to wipe away their tears and stand stronger than when they entered the room. They all looked towards where Lloyd was looking, while Raven walked ahead and stood next to Lloyd with the same resolution that he had.

"We didn't come this far to die. We've been through a lot together, and we're not going down without a fight. Ninja. NEVER. Quit. We're going to stand together against Darkness, and stop his machine from destroying our home. Enough is enough. This will be our last stand," Lloyd said, and the others agreed with nods and 'Mhmm's.'

"We'll make Darkness see the Light," Christa said, as she slipped on her Platinum gauntlets, and everyone brought out their weapons.

"Ryan, do you know exactly where Darkness is?" Lloyd asked, and Ryan stood next to him.

"Let me see..." Ryan said, as he closed his eyes for a moment.

When he reopened his eyes as they glowed, Ryan was able to see the way to cross the desert until he saw the machine near a certain tomb. Ryan's eyes stopped glowing as he replied,

"He's near the Anacondrai tomb. The machine doesn't look like it's on. You might be able to make it there before he starts it up."

"Thank you Ryan, for all of your help," Lloyd said, as he nodded towards him, while Ryan nodded back.

"One more thing. Ryan, can you let the others at the bottom of this tower know what's going on, and that we're going to deal with Darkness?" Raven asked.

"I will. Be careful, and win," Ryan said, as the other Ninja stepped forward near Lloyd and Raven.

Ryan stepped back, as the Ninja stood together before him. Lloyd and Raven turned towards Ryan and smiled, as he smiled back.

Lloyd and Raven ran forward as they jumped off the roof and summoned the Gold and Silver dragons. The other Ninja jumped on the backs of the Gold and Silver dragons, and then they flew forward. Lloyd and Raven slowly descended while moving forward, as Jay and Auria jumped up and summoned their flying platinum vehicles to fly forward. When close enough to the ground and just outside of Ninjago city, the rest of the Ninja jumped off of the dragons and summoned their vehicles as they drove forward.

The Ninja rode at about the same speed together, heading towards the Anacondrai tomb to finally confront Darkness once and for all.

**Oh snapple! The final battle will begin soon! I've been waiting so long to write this part! **

**See ya soon. :D**

**10%**


	126. Chapter 126 FA: Taking Flight

_Back at the tower: _

Ryan watched them leave, as he signed while rubbing the back of his head, thinking about how he was going to explain this to everyone else. He heard doors sliding open, as he heard quick footsteps heading towards him, and he turned to see Silva and Lucy.

"RYAAAAANNN!" Lucy called in delight, as she almost knocked Ryan to the floor when she hugged him.

"MY SON!" Silva called in happiness, as she hugged her son when Lucy let him go so that she could hug him.

"Mother. Lucy. You came," Ryan said, as he hugged his mother tightly, and then he wrapped his arm around Lucy's shoulders and held her firmly next to himself.

"Of course we came. We love you," Silva said, as she patted Ryan's shoulder while they exchanged a smile.

"We were worried about you, silly," Lucy said, with a lovely smile gracing her face, while Ryan looked at her with a soft smile.

Lucy noticed that his eyes were Platinum-colored, as her eyes widened with amazement.

Ryan's smile slowly faded, as he turned towards Lucy and faced her towards him. He placed his hand on her cheek, as he brought his lips to her own and kissed Lucy softly, which made her freeze in place. Ryan pulled away from Lucy's lips, as she blinked a few times while her cheeks were red from her blush, and Silva looked at Ryan in surprise.

Yet, Silva noticed a sadness present in his eyes, as she approached him and cupped his face in her hands so that she could look into his eyes.

"Your eyes… they're back to normal… but why are they so sad?" Silva asked.

"Mother, Darkness plans to obliterate the whole world, and all of us with it. The Ninja went to stop him," Ryan said, solemnly, as Silva's eyes widened, and Lucy gasped.

"That dastardly man… that's what he _really_ planned to do huh?" Silva asked, as she released Ryan's face, and he nodded.

"When did they go?" Lucy asked.

"Now. They're heading to the Anacondrai Tomb in the desert. That's where Darkness has the machine," Ryan said, as he pointed towards where the Ninja jumped off the roof.

Lucy looked towards that direction, and she was able to see somethings moving in the distance, which she assumed was the Ninja. She stared in that direction, as her brows furrowed and her eyes expressed true grit. Ryan was looking at Lucy, as he knew what she was thinking, while his heart felt heavy. He looked downward and asked,

"You're going to follow them, right?"

"I must. They are my people too," Lucy said, as she held her water staff with both hands.

"… Then go. They'll need you to help them. Ninja stick together," Ryan said, as he continued looking down.

"Go help them out Lucy. Make sure they get back home, and you too," Silva said, and Lucy nodded.

Lucy looked towards Ryan and noticed his downcast expression. She walked over to him, and when he looked up, Lucy planted her lips on his own, as he looked at her in surprise. After pulling away, Lucy asked,

"Hold that kiss for me until I come back, okay?"

Ryan chuckled and said, "Okay."

Lucy smiled wholeheartedly, as she hugged Ryan and Silva, and then saluted them.

"I'm off to fight! And WIN! Tell Marcell I'm alright!" Lucy said, as she ran towards the edge of the roof and jumped off.

She summoned her vehicle, as she surfed with it diagonally towards the ground and continued driving. Silva and Ryan watched her go, and then they turned towards one another.

"I guess it's time we meet the others downstairs," Silva said.

"Who's down there exactly?" Ryan asked.

"Oh the regular people: Wu, Garmadon, Misako, King Terrin, Queen Reine, although Queen Malentha is on the Bounty with the Viporeon and Serpentine leaders and Dr. Julien, and the Vamp-I mean the used-to-be Vampires," Silva replied, and Ryan looked at her with an arched eyebrow.

"The Vampires are… human again?" Ryan asked, and Silva nodded.

"Kerrie was the one who turned them into Vampires, as Lucy told me when we were heading up here. She and Marcell defeated her right before I came to ask her to bring me up this tower, since I could feel that you were up here," Silva said, and Ryan nodded in understanding.

Then Ryan rubbed the back of his neck and said, "I have to tell them what's going on with Darkness and the Ninja."

Silva grabbed Ryan's arm and said, "Don't worry, son. I'll be there with ya."

Silva teleported herself and Ryan down the tower and outside, as they greeted the others down there and noticed that the Vampires were no longer pale and the ones who showed their fangs had no fangs to show anymore. Ryan explained what happened in the tower, Darkness' true plan, and that the Ninja went to stop him. Everyone was quite surprised and shocked, with silence and worry following after Ryan finished speaking.

"They just left… on their own…? Kai… Jay… they didn't even come to tell us anything?" Nya said, in sadness and some anger, as she had one hand clutched in a fist on her chest.

"By the way they reacted to when I told them what Darkness was planning, I don't think they would have been able to say much, especially Jay. He couldn't say a word," Ryan told her, as Nya opened her fist and placed her hand over her mouth in surprise.

"They didn't want ya'll to worry and get hysterical. They went to fulfill their mission and duty as Ninja. That is the Ninja's Way," Silva said, as everyone settled down.

Then Sensei Wu stepped forward and said, "Everyone, this is the Ninja's last stand against Darkness! They will be fighting a great battle, and while they are doing that, we should help the people who are trapped underground! Whether the Ninja win or not, the citizens, villagers, and even the ones keeping them captive should be able to see the sky and breathe fresh air for whatever time they have left. But I have no doubt in my mind that the Ninja WILL win this fight! Who will stand?!"

Everyone cheered and raised their hands up in agreement. Then Sensei Garmadon stood next to Sensei Wu and said,

"Then we'll split up in groups to help everyone. The Vampires… well, your not Vampires anymore..."

"We were originally known as the Traveler Village," Andrex said.

Sensei Garmadon nodded, and said, "Alright, then the Travelers will free the citizens of Ninjago city, while the rest of us will disperse to the other villages. I'll have Malentha drive the Bounty around to pick all of us up when we free the people, and then we'll see how the Ninja are doing!"

Everyone agreed, and Marcell turned to her people and said, "Go forth my friends! Free the citizens of Ninjago!"

The Travelers howled and yelled in agreement, and then they dispersed throughout Ninjago city to find the citizens. As the rest of the group were heading towards the Bounty, Ryan noticed that Nya was looking towards where the Ninja had gone off to. He thought for a moment, and then he took something out from his pocket.

"Nya, you know about machinery and technology right?" Ryan asked, and Nya replied,

"Of course I do. I built my own Samurai gear and repaired the Bounty many times. Even this new Samurai suit I helped build with Dr. Julien."

Ryan threw forward the item he had, and it transformed into the motor-jet that he and Lloyd had rode in to get to Ninjago city a while ago.

"I'm sure you can drive this correct?" Ryan asked, and Nya looked at the machine in awe and replied,

"Definitely."

Then Ryan turned and noticed that Marcell was standing a few feet away from them while looking towards the desert.

"Marcell, Lucy said that she's alright… but I'm sure you'd like to make sure. There's another seat on the motor-jet," Ryan said, and Marcell looked at him as her eyes lit up.

"Oh yeah I'm going!" Marcell said, as she ran to the motor-jet and jumped in the backseat, while Nya jumped in the front seat.

"What's going on here Ryan?" Silva asked, as the others stopped to see what was going on.

"The Ninja are going to be busy dealing with Darkness, the Overlord, and whatever Lizarians remain. If the machine is activated, they may not have time to shut it down. If Nya and Marcell can shut down the machine from the inside, or weaken it, the Ninja may be able to destroy it," Ryan said, and the others agreed.

Nya readied the motor-jet, as she and Marcell were ready to go.

"Be safe Nya! Marcell! Watch out for the Ninja for us!" Misako said.

"We will!" Marcell said, and they waved to the others, as they waved back.

"Alright motor-jet, let's see how fast you can get us there," Nya said, as she started driving forward, and then the jet quickly rose up and flew off to the desert.

The others quickly headed towards the Bounty, as Sensei Reine turned to see that Ryan was still looking towards the desert as he was walking up the ramp. She saw that his eyes were glowing brighter in their Platinum-color, as she reached for her silver cellphone that she carried in her pocket. She typed in a number, as she stood in a more isolated place on the upper deck while everyone else was bringing the ramp up.

"Hey Time Sensei, I have a question for you…" Sensei Reine said on the phone.

**Oh snap! I'm just writing chapters like nothing! Oh my gosh! I might finish this story sooner than I thought! I want to finish this before I go back to school in like two and half weeks from now. **

**See ya soon peoples. :)**

**25%**


	127. Chapter 127 FA: Final Battles

_The Ninja:_

The Ninja were traveling through the desert as they could see the Anacondrai tomb about half a mile ahead.

"There's the tomb, but where's the-" Jay said, as he looked North-west of the tomb and spotted the machine.

Everyone else turned and easily noticed the machine as their jaws dropped.

The machine looked like a fortified observatory, with purple spiked rings that wrapped around the cylinder body and circled around it. The body of the observatory was black, with six white vertical lines evenly spaced out from the top to the bottom. However, instead of a telescope, there was a cannon aiming toward the sky, and it had an open dragon's mouth on the front of it. The dragon head was gray, and the rest of the cannon was dark purple. There were metal rods that stuck from the bottom of the observatory into the sandy ground to hold it in place from the shifting sand. The cannon wasn't aiming in their direction, it was in profile view to the Ninja.

"Well, there's the machine. It's a freaking huge... turret cannon," Flare said.

"How is Darkness going to use that to destroy everything?" Kai asked.

"Let's _not_ find out. Come on!" Cole said, as the Ninja turned towards the Turret Cannon and were heading straight towards it.

As they drove, they saw a creature standing on the Turret Cannon as it started flying towards them.

"There is a creature moving speedily towards us," Zane said.

"It's the Overlord," Lloyd said, recognizing the evil dragon as it came closer.

"**So the Ninja decided to come over for a visit? Heh Heh Heh! This will be your last interference in Darkness' plans!**" Overlord said, as he was flying towards Lloyd and Raven mostly.

However, Jay flew higher and quicker ahead, and then he shot a lightening bolt at Darkness with his jet-plane. The Overlord blocked the attack with his wing, as he shot a purple blast at Jay, but he dodged it. Auria also flew ahead with Jay and used a wind attack from her vehicle, as the Overlord avoided it. With that distraction, Lloyd and Raven continued flying passed the Overlord to the machine.

"**You're not getting by me so easily!**" Overlord shouted and turned around, but then he felt something land on his back.

"We'll _we're _still here!" Jay shouted, while holding onto the Overlord's back after dismissing his vehicle from above him.

"**Get off of me you imbecile!**" Overlord shouted, but then he felt more weight on his back, tail, and head.

"This time we're taking _you_ down ourselves!" Kai shouted, as he and the rest of the ninja and kunoichi were holding onto the Overlord's back and attacking him.

"_Your_ the imbecile for thinking we were pushovers!" Flare said, as she poked the Overlord in his left eye.

"I second that!" Auria said, as she poked the Overlord's right eye.

"**GAAH!**" The Overlord yelled, as he was trying to knock the Ninja off of his back.

Other Lizarians were heading towards the Overlord to assist him. However, roars were heard as the group of flying red- and orange- eyed lizarians were attacked by various elemental shots and white fire. The Ninja and the Overlord looked to see Ultra dragon and Pearl flying towards them, along with Dr. Julien on Pearl's back.

"Father!" Zane called out, as Dr. Julien waved at them.

"You must stop the machine! Darkness has activated it but it's taking a while to warm up! Hurry!" Dr. Julien shouted.

Ultra dragon flew straight towards the Overlord and tackled him, while the Ninja jumped up. As the Overlord descended towards the ground, the Ninja landed on Ultra dragon's back.

"We have to defeat the Overlord before we can stop the Turret," Kai said, as the Overlord rose back up, while the Lizarians rose up near him.

"YAAAHH!" A voice shouted, as the Lizarians were hit by two waves of water.

"Lucy!" The Ninja called, as they saw Lucy flying up to them on her water vehicle.

She dismissed her vehicle to land on Ultra dragon's back.

"Let's hurry to the machine!" Lucy said, and the Ninja agreed.

The Overlord shot black fire at the Ninja and Ultra dragon, as they dodged.

"It's going to be hard to stop it like this!" Cole said.

"We're on it!" Marcell's voice called from above, as everyone looked up to see Nya and Marcell on a motor-jet.

"Kai! Jay! Guys! What were you thinking? Leaving without telling us?!" Nya scolded.

"We're sorry Nya! It's just..." Kai trailed off.

"We didn't want it to seem like a final goodbye!" Jay shouted.

Nya gasped, but then she smiled and shouted, "Then let's _not_ let it be!"

Nya and Marcell drove straight towards the Turret Cannon to find a way inside, while the Ninja and Ultra dragon went to deal with the Overlord and the few remaining Lizarians. Pearl brought Dr. Julien to a safer location.

_Meanwhile_:

Lloyd and Raven continued flying towards the Turret Cannon, and they noticed a large gathering of storm clouds in the sky that was not too far from the Turret Cannon. When Lloyd and Raven were close to the turret, a sudden powerful gust of wind pulled them upward towards the clouds while still on their dragons.

"What's happening?!" Lloyd asked, as they passed by the TC.

"I don't know… this wind… it's being controlled!" Raven replied over the swirling winds that moved like ocean waves.

"Darkness! He must be manipulating the wind!" Lloyd said, as he and Raven were heading towards the clouds.

Then the clouds parted, revealing black double-doors with two vertical columns of spikes on each one. The doors parted inwardly, as Lloyd and Raven were pulled in by the wind until they were totally inside. Lloyd and Raven landed their dragons on the floor, and then the doors slammed closed.

The large room they were in was circular, with black walls that looked like an endless abyss. The ceiling was very high up with dark misty clouds that covered a quarter down from it, and the floor was gray and glossy. Lloyd and Raven dismissed their dragons, as they quickly examined their surroundings, and then they turned towards a light source that was coming from the opposite side of the room. Although surprised at first, Lloyd and Raven looked towards the one sitting on a dark throne with determined expressions.

Sitting on the black glossy-stone throne was Darkness, with his hood on his head, and his black hair that covered his eyes. The light source that lit the area in front of Darkness, and brought a few more layers of light to the rest of the room, was a circular mirror that stood on the wall above the throne.

"So, you both made it... and your much stronger huh? I guess my trap for Raven backfired..." Darkness said in a monotone voice, as he stood leaning back with his shoulders slightly slumped.

"I'm impressed by your wills. You never gave up, even when you should have… even when you were pushed to your limits… Impressive," Darkness said, while looking away from them, although they couldn't see his eyes.

"Darkness, we've come to settle this once and for all," Lloyd said, calmly.

"Please… Darkness. We don't have to fight. You can stop all of this and leave. We won't pursue as long as if you leave our world alone," Raven said, with sympathy seeing as Darkness seemed aloof and stressed.

Darkness chuckled as he looked towards them and his red eyes glowed, while he said,

"All I've done, all the problems and heartaches I've caused all of you… and yet you wish to show mercy? I have to say, I admire such virtue… but it won't deter me from my goal. This world has lived long enough, as well as it's inhabitants… I've had enough of it all…"

"This world is as much your home as it is ours. Do you really want to destroy it?" Raven asked.

"This world. These people. Why should it continue? It's the same thing: living, dying. Although in different ways, it leads to the same fate. All that is created by people, all that is part of this world… it means nothing. Everything is meaningless… it all ends one day, like a trend. Everything is meaningless and it needs to end... It makes no difference if I end it now, then wait for everything to slowly die and restart all over again!" Darkness said, as he slowly stood up from his throne.

"It's not restarting! It's creating new life for the next generations to come! Those 'trends' your talking about and this world brings people together. In good or bad times, it brings people together who want to create a better future and change their fates from dark to light. To be better people and bring out the best in others!" Lloyd said, as he took a step forward.

"Hmph, your just like..." Darkness trailed off, as he remembered a very significant person.

Raven took a gentle step forward and asked,

"Akemi, right?"

Lloyd briefly glanced towards Raven, as Darkness looked at them with his eyes widened and his jaw clenched.

"So, you know about her… That Time Sensei... you know everything don't you?" Darkness asked, and Raven and Lloyd nodded, although they were surprised that he knew about Time Sensei.

Darkness lifted his head a little higher, as his face was better revealed with a small smile, and he said,

"But I'm sure you don't realize that if I didn't meet Ryan and Silva when I ascended from the seal underground… I would have already destroyed this world. I already knew of you Lloyd, so I would have gotten you beforehand, but hearing of a Black Mambian princess from them, I had to see if you were the Purple Ninja, Raven. I had to know… for Akemi's sake… I had to know… I had to give all of you a chance… but now..."

Darkness pulled his hood off of his head, revealing his spiked-up black hair with spiky bangs, and said,

"Now that you've released the Platinum dragon, I can't risk letting you two live anymore. I gave ALL of you a chance, more than one actually… but now it's OVER! **This is the end!**"

Darkness' hands immediately emitted a large amount of dark energy, as he raised his clenched fists up to his elbows. Lloyd and Raven also emitted gold and silver energy from their hands, as they lifted their clenched fists to their elbows and spread their legs a little more.

The bell has been struck, a final battle will ensue… will the Golden Green and Silver Purple ninja be able to defeat the Evil, Former Silver Purple ninja?

**The final battle has begun! **

**55%**


	128. Chapter 128 FA: Requisite

_Villages of Ninjago: _

"There, that's everyone. I hope the others had it as easy as we did," Garmadon said, as he and Sensei Wu were at Jamanakai village with the freed villagers.

"We would have had you old geezers! Without that Spinning- utsu!" One of the tied gang members said.

"A sharp tongue does not mean you have a keen mind," Sensei Wu said, as Sensei Garmadon snickered while the gang member was confused.

"There they are," Sensei Garmadon said, as the Bounty was approaching them.

"Now we need to pick up the Travelers, and then we can find the Ninja," Sensei Wu said, as he and Sensei Garmadon climbed up a ladder to get to the top of the Bounty, since they needed to hurry.

_In the Turret Cannon: _

Nya and Marcell entered the machine from an entrance on ground-level. They were careful as they entered, weapons drawn, and they were in awe of the various mechanisms and structures inside.

They were in a circular room with various entrances that you could walk, jump, or had to fly through. Many neon colored pipes glowed along the ground and walls and entered each passage-way in various colored combinations. The walls, ceiling, and floors were all a light-bluish chrome, with lights that randomly blinked and glowed within dark patches on the walls.

"What in the world..." Nya said, examining but not understanding the mechanics of this machine.

"Dang, there's a lot more stuff in here than what we built. We only built the _outside_," Marcell said, as she looked around.

Then they heard movement in one of the upper entrances, as they ran towards an entrance ahead to hide in. A lizarian descended from the entrance and landed on the ground, but this wasn't just any lizarian. It's purple eyes turned this way and that, as they looked towards the main entrance and noticed that the door wasn't totally closed.

Nya grit her teeth, as she whispered to Marcell, "I know that purple-eyed lizarian! That was the one who POISONED me!"

The Purple-eyed lizarian turned towards where Marcell and Nya were hiding, although she wasn't looking at them, she was listening. The two held their breaths, and when the lizarian continued to hear nothing, she immediately ran through a different passage-way.

"We got to be careful then. If that one is willing to bite, it'll do it again, and we can't risk trying to get to Terrin in time for an antidote. Let's hurry up and get out!" Marcell whispered, and Nya nodded.

The two carefully maneuvered through the machine, as they reached the upper floors with less entrances and more neon pipes. They heard movement and would avoid it, which signaled to them that more than one lizarian was there. Finally, the two made it to the top floor, which was all dark besides a large power source in the center that was growing larger every few seconds. It was a pure energy sphere made of various neon colors and dark colors that kept spiraling together and merging in a dark crimson ball of energy. A mechanism, which looked like a control panel, stood a couple of feet away from the energy sphere.

Nya and Marcell stood before the control panel, as they noticed a long bar across it that was slowly filling from left to right in green:

**60%.**

"A loading bar…? It's getting ready to fire!" Marcell said, as both of their eyes widened.

"We have to shut it down! It's already more than halfway done!" Nya said, as she and Marcell carefully looked across the control panel for a shut-off switch or somewhere to hack into.

"SHREEEE!" A shrill scream was heard, as the two turned to see four Purple-eyed lizarians entering the room.

The poisonous one was the one who screamed, and the others followed her into the room. Another one in particular, the one who met Raven, stepped forward since she was their leader. She looked at Nya and Marcell with a dark expression, as she growled while the other three slowly stepped forward while baring their deadly fangs. The two male Purple-eyed lizarians walked on fours, ready to pounce, while the leader and the biter females stood in place.

"We're out-numbered, and I don't think these purple-eyed ones are going to be easy to defeat," Marcell said.

"We can't fight them… but we could run. There are so many paths here, maybe we could lose them for awhile," Nya said, and Marcell agreed with a nod.

"Split!" Marcell yelled, as she and Nya ran through two different passage-ways.

The leader lizarian snarled, as the biter went with the more stocky male lizarian to chase Nya, while she went with the taller male to chase Marcell.

_Sky Floor:_

Raven and Lloyd were using a shield generated by their golden and silver powers to block a double dark beam attack that Darkness was using against them. They were having a hard time fighting him, even though they were stronger, but they realized that their attacks were actually hurting him:

He had a wound on his side when Lloyd found an opening and punched him with a fiery-energy attack. Darkness had anger etched on his face, as he threw sharp energy staffs at Lloyd, and that's when Raven cut the staffs with a water-energy wave. Darkness attacked with his double dark beams, and that's when Raven and Lloyd made the shield.

"Hide while you can! I'll get you out EVENTUALLY!" Darkness yelled, as he added more power to his attack.

"He's still strong! Even when we got stronger… how much power does he have?" Raven asked Lloyd, with worry lacing her voice.

"Don't think about how much power he has, just think about our objective: Stopping him. We need to find a way to get through to him or a weakness," Lloyd replied.

"But what can we do? Even the people in his time couldn't stop him, and they were his friends," Raven asked, less worried but more wondering.

"I'm not sure. The only one who really stopped him was Akemi, but she's not here, and I don't think sealing him will stop him this time," Lloyd replied.

"… He has a past," Raven said, thinking out loud.

"What do you mean?" Lloyd asked.

"In his time they couldn't stop him because everything was happening in that moment, but if we remind him of his past with Akemi and what happened, maybe while he's reminiscing, we can find a way to stop him or help him remember who he was," Raven replied.

"Yes… and actually, I'd prefer to think of it as reminding him of who he IS," Lloyd said, and Raven nodded with confidence.

Darkness stopped his attack, as he disappeared. Lloyd and Raven called off the shield, as they quickly scanned the room for movement.

Suddenly, Darkness jumped up from their shadows which stood between them, and shot them with dark sound waves, as Lloyd and Raven went flying in opposite directions. Lloyd hit his head on the wall, which left him dizzy for a moment, while Raven hit her arm on the wall, which hurt pretty bad even though it didn't break.

Darkness noticed Lloyd's dizziness, and he instead turned towards Raven. With a stern expression, he raised his hand towards Raven's left leg, as a shadow rose up and grabbed her leg.

"I should have took you myself when your leg was damaged. It would have been easier… this time, if your leg is damaged, I wonder how much easier it would be to defeat you…" Darkness said, with no emotion in his eyes, as another shadow rose in a fist-form above Raven's leg.

Raven looked at Darkness with widened eyes, as she tried to get up with her hands and back against the wall, but the shadows wouldn't let her.

"Please Meir! This isn't you! You're not like this, you never were..." Raven said, as Darkness halted from his attack.

"Once a Purple ninja, always a Purple ninja. That's who you are. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am," Raven said, in a soft voice while her expression held sadness.

Darkness' expression didn't change, although he felt a small twist in his heart which made him push it away. His expression became ominous, although his eyes were ambiguous, and he said,

"That's right… you wouldn't be in so much trouble if it wasn't for me..."

He lifted his arm up, and quickly stroke downward, but Raven closed her eyes as she instantly sunk into the ground with sound power. Darkness was surprised, as he quickly sensed the area while his shadows retreated. He looked downward as he jumped up with wind power, while Raven came up from where he was and attacked with a sound wave upward. Darkness was hit by the sound wave, but then he used a dark water slash, which Raven quickly side-stepped out of the way to dodge it.

While Darkness and Raven continued to fight, Lloyd was able to stand up and shake the dizziness from his head. He thought,

'_How are we going to stop him? … I wish you were here Akemi…_'

'_I am here,_' Akemi's voice called out to Lloyd's mind.

'_Y-You can hear me?_' Lloyd asked.

'_Yes. As I told your grandfather, we're connected, but me and you have a closer connection since your the Green ninja_,' Akemi said.

'_Isn't there a way to stop Darkness? I mean, Meir? You stopped him before, but sealing him isn't going to help him_,' Lloyd said.

'_I wish I could help you… but I can't leave this realm_,' Akemi said.

'_Wait… Akemi! Your not dead?!_' Lloyd asked.

'_Dead? No. I used up a lot of power to seal Meir, but I ended up transporting to another realm. It took a long time before I could use my powers again,_' Akemi replied.

'_… That's it!_' Lloyd said, and he started to concentrate his golden powers.

'_Lloyd! What are you doing?'_ Akemi asked.

'_Meir is about to receive a blast from the past…_' Lloyd said, and his energy concentration grew larger and brighter.

**Am I posting these chapters too fast, or is that okay?**

**70%**


	129. Chapter 129 FA: All Together

Raven and Darkness noticed the bright energy, as they covered their eyes from it while standing a few feet from one another. When the light faded, Raven and Darkness uncovered their eyes, as they saw a thick cloud of smoke covering the area where Lloyd was.

After a few seconds Lloyd appeared from the cloud mist although he fell on one knee while panting. Raven was about to walk over to him, but Darkness outstretched his hand in front of her to stop her from moving. It wasn't because he was being protective, but because he wasn't letting his guard down by letting the two ninja unite. He noticed that someone was still in the cloud mist, and he breathed out a small gust of wind to blow the mist away.

Darkness' body froze as his eyes widened to see her standing there in place of the mist. Raven's jaw dropped in shock, while Lloyd smiled somewhat cheeky at their reactions.

Standing in place of the mist and a few steps from Lloyd, stood Akemi with her long blonde hair almost defying gravity as it waved on it's own in an unknown wind. She held a confident and determined expression on her face, as her hands were in fist, but not tightly clenched, with her elbows slightly bended. She wore a green kimono with a gold belt around her waist, a short, open white jacket, and white pants and shoes.

After a moment of silence and staring, Akemi relaxed her hands, and she took a step towards Darkness with a pleading expression as she gestured with one hand towards him.

"May I… please?" Akemi asked in a gentle tone, and Darkness lowered his arm as he slightly nodded with a calm expression on his face.

As Akemi walked towards him, Raven took the opportunity to quickly walk towards Lloyd.

"Lloyd. Are you okay? What just happened?" Raven whispered to him, as she rubbed his back.

"I brought Akemi back from whatever realm she was in. We're connected after all," Lloyd whispered his reply, and Raven nodded.

Akemi stood before Darkness, as she slowly raised her hands to his face, but stopped mid-way. Darkness raised his head up a bit as his eyes slightly softened. Akemi raised her hands up, as she rested her palms on the sides of Darkness' face. She gently ran her left hand through his hair, as she brought her right hand across his jawline.

"Meir. My darling... what has happened to you?" Akemi said sadly, as Darkness' eyes turned away from her.

_Outside_:

The Ninja were fighting with the Overlord in mid-air: The ones with the flying vehicles were Auria, Lucy, Jay, and Christa, although Christa's vehicle jumped, while the other Ninja were standing on the flying vehicles and attacking the Overlord and lizarians with their elements. The Overlord was spitting dark fireballs at the Ninja, and attacking them with claw attacks and wing strikes. Both sides were giving it their all, but the Overlord was taking too many hits from the Ninja. Eventually, the Ninja were able to surround him from above, as they shot their elements at him, which merged into a powerful elemental beam that sent the Overlord into the sand.

"YOU PESKY NINJAAA!" The Overlord screamed, as he sunk into the sandy ground.

"That takes care of him. Let's stop the machine!" Kai said, and the Ninja jumped back on Ultra dragon's back since they told him to cover them in case any of them fell.

_Inside the turret:_

Nya and Marcell were having a hard time trying to escape from the Purple-eyed lizarians. Nya tried to fight them, and did very well, but these lizarians were crafty and strong. One of them was taking her weapons and breaking them, while the other kept Nya on the move so that the other could grab the weapons. Cutting her next to last sword in half, Nya could only back away from the two lizarians as they had her cornered.

'_Well, this may be it for me... I just wish I could have seen the others again... and my Jay,_' Nya thought, as she clenched her fists since she was still going to fight them.

Suddenly, the two lizarians were shot from their left away from Nya into the wall by a translucent platinum beam. Nya looked towards the lizarians and saw that they were dizzy, and then she looked towards who shot the beam.

"Ryan!" Nya said, happy to see him standing with his arm still outward towards the lizarians.

"Are you okay? You weren't bitten?" Ryan asked, as he lowered his hand.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks. How did you get here anyway?" Nya asked.

"Sensei Reine brought me here on Malentha's aerocycle. Did you find the control room?" Ryan asked.

"Yes. Me and Marcell found it, but these lizarians got in the way and we had to split up," Nya replied.

"Let's hurry up and find Marcell so that we can shut this machine down. It's almost charged up," Ryan said, and Nya nodded.

–

Marcell was cornered by the two lizarians, so she rolled up her sleeves and said,

"Alright you lizard-punks, time to get kicked..."

–

Ryan and Nya ran up the tower looking for Marcell, and they ended up in the control room.

"This is the core, but where is Marcell?" Ryan asked.

"Ya called?" Marcell said, as she just walked into the room while rolling down her sleeves.

"Oh thank goodness you made it. What happened to the other two lizarians?" Nya asked.

"They're a bit tied-by-their-tails at the moment," Marcell replied, as the three stood in front of the control panel.

"Alright, so what are we going to do about this?" Nya asked, as they examined the control panel and the buttons.

Ryan started trying to hack the computer, but then he realized that the control mechanism to fire the machine was broken on the 'ON' setting.

"Darkness must have broke the firing mechanism so that we wouldn't be able to stop it from firing..." Ryan speculated.

"Then how are we going to stop it? Unless..." Marcell said, and Ryan finished her sentence,

"We weaken it enough for the Ninja outside to counterattack or block the energy from striking the ground."

"Do you think it'll work?" Marcell asked.

"It has to. That's our only option now. If we try to attack it here, it might absorb whatever we throw at it," Ryan said, and Marcell nodded.

"I'll let them know," Nya said, as she brought her hand up to call the Ninja through her bracelet.

Outside, Zane received Nya's call, and he put the call on speaker so that the others could hear it.

"You need to counterattack or block the machine when it fires. We can't stop it from firing, but we can weaken it so that you guys will be able to fight it back. Take this time to get ready now, but hurry. It's going to fire very soon," Nya said over the speaker.

"How are we going to compete against that?" Jay asked, pointing towards the TC.

"Hm. We could combine our powers again like with the Overlord and overpower the attack," Auria suggested.

"But would it be enough? That turret is HUGE," Kai asked.

"If only we had our _own_ machine," Cole thought outloud.

"Hey, wait a minute! We COULD have our own machine!" Jay said.

"How? We don't have time," Flare asked.

"The Tornado of Creation! We could combine our powers to create a machine that could counter-act this one," Jay replied.

"Tornado of Creation? That is what you used before to create a vehicle that could fight the Great Devourer yes?" Auria asked, and the guys nodded.

"Could the girls also contribute to the tornado?" Dr. Julien asked, as he already flew close to them on Pearl's back.

"We'll have to take the risk," Flare concluded.

"But what if it's too much? It takes only four of us to make the Tornado of Creation. Eight might be too much," Kai said.

"Maybe eight is just what we need. We can still balance each other out, all we're doing is adding more power to the tornado," Lucy said.

"We have to try it. There's nothing else we can do," Christa said, as she pointed towards the turret.

The TC began to glow around the cannon, as everyone's eyes widened.

"Okay. Nya! Weaken the turret as much as you can and we'll counter-attack from the outside," Kai said.

"Alright guys. Give it your all and let's stop this thing," Nya said, and Zane hung up.

"Let's get ready. Dr. Julien, may you fly a safe distance away from here. We're not sure if the Tornado of Creation is going to work or if we can block the turret's attack well enough," Auria said, and Dr. Julien nodded.

"Be safe Ninja," Dr. Julien said, as he tugged on Pearl's reins, which made her fly upward and away.

The Ninja jumped on the ground, as they let Ultra dragon follow Dr. Julien and Pearl. They gathered together before the TC as they stood in a circle formation. They held their weapons firmly, as the Platinum weapons began to glow. After looking towards one another and nodding with confidence, the Ninja used spinjitzu and came together.

"NINJAAAA GOOOO! TORNADO OF CREATION!"

**80%**

**Will it work? **


	130. Chapter 130 FA: Coalesce

_In the TC: _

Ryan, Marcell, and Nya were trying to hack the control system and come up with a way to weaken the machine.

"There's so much concentrated energy in this core. It'll be dangerous to release it in it's raw form," Marcell said.

"We can send the energy into the pipes and lock it inside each one. I noticed that the material that makes up the pipes are energy sufficient and strong. They're made to hold large amounts of energy so that they wouldn't explode when too much power is inside of them. It'll keep the energy flowing in a circular motion from the center into the shell of the pipe and back," Ryan said.

"So we're using this machine's own strength against it," Nya said, and Ryan nodded.

"I guess your mother sending you to school really paid off, eh Ryan?" Marcell said with a smile, and Ryan shrugged his shoulders with a slight smirk and said,

"Yup."

"Let's do it," Nya said, and the three went to work on sending energy through the pipes and sealing them shut.

0 Pipes sealed: 100 percent Power

1st Pipe sealed: 90 percent

2nd Pipe sealed: 80 percent

3rd Pipe sealed: 70 percent

4th Pipe sealed: 60 percent

5th Pipe sealed: 55 percent

6th Pipe sealed: 50 percent

"That's all the pipes," Ryan said when they finished.

"There's no other way to drain the power?" Nya asked.

"If we tried attacking it, it would absorb our attacks and get stronger. If we broke the control panel, the pipes would open up and return the energy to the core. This is all we can do," Ryan replied.

Scrapping and growls were heard, as the three turned around to see the four lizarians slowly entering the room. The leader of the Purple-eyed lizarians looked at the machine and noticed that it's power was halved, and that it was about to fire in less than two minutes. Seeing that they wouldn't have enough time to fix the machine, she snarled,

"YARRGHH! YAARRUUU! YOAARH! YOAAH!"

The three arched an eyebrow, as the leader lizarian continued,

"YOOAA! -Cough- YYOOOUU… YOU... YOU. WILL. PAAAYY!"

Ryan, Marcell, and Nya looked at the lizarian in shock to hear her speak. She turned and quickly ran out, as the others followed her.

"What was that?" Marcell asked.

"No time to wonder about that now. We have to get out of here," Ryan said, and the girls agreed.

They all quickly maneuvered through the machine, and ran outside to get away from it. Ultra dragon spotted them and picked them up to bring them away from the machine with Dr. Julien and Pearl.

**90%**

_In front of the TC: _

The tornadoes that each of the Ninja made merged into one colossal tornado of elements that spun as one unit. A flash filled the area, as the ones on the side-lines covered their eyes along with the dragons. After the flash, they uncovered their eyes and stood in awe of the tower that stood before the TC.

It was a tall platinum tower, with each floor on the tower holding one Ninja. The element of that Ninja pulsed within and outside of the floor that the Ninja was on. There were two levers on each floor near the windows that each Ninja held onto, and a concentration of each of their elements within each room. From top to bottom: Auria, Jay, Christa, Zane, Kai, Flare, Cole, and Lucy.

"What did we just create?!" Lucy asked.

"Our own weapon!" Cole said.

"It's like a tower! Made of Platinum! The Platinum Ninja Tower!" Jay said.

"Oh snap! Let's see what this baby can do!" Flare said.

"Charge it up! The turret is going to fire!" Auria shouted, and the Ninja saw that the TC was about to fire since the cannon was radiating energy.

_**100%**_

All of the Ninja pushed the levers forward, as each of them began to glow in their respective colors. The energy within each floor began to accumulate in front of the Platinum Ninja Tower. The energy formed into a huge orb of elemental power. When the TC shot a beam of dark energy, the Platinum Ninja Tower shot a beam of elemental energy as the beams collided.

Although the impact of the attacks pushed the Ninja back a little, they stood their ground as they added more of their power to the attack.

"Keep going guys! We have to hold it!" Kai shouted, as the Ninja kept their levers pressed forward.

The beams were pushing each other back and forth, and when it moved too close to the Ninja, the team added more power which pushed the opposing beam further away.

"Just a little longer!" Auria said, as the Ninja kept their counter-attack going.

"Come on guys," Marcell said, as she kept her hands clenched.

"Is it almost done?" Nya asked Ryan.

Ryan was able to see the remaining power level of the TC: 5 percent.

"Almost there," Ryan replied.

The Ninja continued pushing the dark beam back, and then they noticed that the beam's power was weakening, as they started using less energy into their attack. After a little while of weakening, there was no more energy shooting forth from the turret, and the Platinum Ninja Tower stopped firing.

"We did it… We STOPPED IT!" Jay said, with his arms up in the air, and the other Ninja joined in cheering.

Dr. Julien, Marcell, Nya, and Ryan flew over to the Ninja with the dragons.

"You guys did it!" Nya said.

"We All did it!" Christa said, and everyone agreed.

Ryan looked towards the TC, and he noticed a hole in the sandy ground near the base of it. The dragons landed near the tower, as Ryan was the first to jump off and approach Lucy.

"My dear! Your here," Lucy said with a sweet smile, as Ryan smiled back at her.

"Hey Lucy, was that hole always there?" Ryan asked, and Lucy looked towards the hole.

"Hm… I do not believe so. I wonder where it came-" Lucy stopped short when she realized something.

"What is it?" Ryan asked.

"The Overlord..." Lucy said, as she looked at the top of the TC and saw the dark dragon on it.

Everyone looked towards the top of the turret when they heard a laugh echoing from it.

"**You. Pesky. Little. Ninja… You won't escape this next attack!**" The Overlord said, and he dived into the turret.

Dark energy radiated from the top of the turret, as the power level began to increase. The eyes of the Overlord formed on the sides of the turret, as the cannon began to emit a large quantity of dark energy.

"Eighty percent," Ryan said, as Lucy heard him.

"GUYS! WE HAVE TO SHOOT AGAIN!" Lucy said, as she grabbed the levers.

"We need a stronger attack!" Flare shouted, sensing the power-level to be higher than before.

"But how much power do we need?!" Jay shouted.

"Let's use our Full Potentials!" Cole suggested.

"Could we do that?!" Christa asked.

"If we all keep in balance and use our forms simultaneously, I am ninety percent certain that we should be fine! But we only have a few minutes!" Zane said.

"Then let's make them count!" Kai said.

"On three then! One! Two! Three!" Auria said, and all of the Ninja used their Full Potentials at the same time.

"Come on Ryan!" Dr. Julien called, as Ryan jumped up on Ultra dragon, and they flew a few yards away.

"**PERISH!**" The Overlord roared, as he shot a stronger dark beam with the turret.

"YAAAAHHH!" The Ninja yelled in unison as they shot a stronger elemental beam.

**The Overlord fused with the TC. Can the Ninja's Full Potentials last long enough?**

**You'll see soon… **


	131. Chapter 131 FA: Verde y Violeta

_Outside_:

On contact, the beams stood at a stand still with immense power, but the Overlord was slowing pushing them back.

"**HA HA HA! You won't last against me!**" The Overlord cackled.

"Keep. Pushing. Forward!" Kai encouraged, as the Ninja were able to slow down the dark beam coming towards them.

Ryan was able to see the power level on the machine, and it was at sixty percent.

"Nya, how long can the Ninja use that 'Full Potential?'" Ryan asked.

"About five minutes," Nya replied.

Ryan estimated that the power of the Overlord would last longer than the Ninja because of the time limit.

"Do you think they will make- Ryan? Ryan!" Nya called, seeing that Ryan grabbed the reins of the Ultra dragon and started flying forward.'

"What the heck dude?! Where are we going?!" Marcell asked, since she was on the Ultra dragon with Ryan, while Nya was on Pearl with Dr. Julien.

"They need more power," Ryan replied, and he jumped off of Ultra dragon and landed near the tower.

Ryan quickly stood near the tower as he looked at where the Ninja were firing against the Overlord.

"Ryan. Don't stay here. Go," Lucy said.

"Not this time, sweetheart. I'm fighting too," Ryan said, as he raised his arms and shot a more opaque Platinum beam that merged with the Ninja's.

"We got extra power!" Flare said, as the Overlord's attack stopped progressing towards them.

"Don't leave us out then!" Marcell yelled, as she grabbed the Ultra dragon's reins and said, "Shoot you Ultra dragon beast! Give them your power too!"

Ultra dragon opened all four mouths and shot elemental beams that merged with the main one. The Overlord's attack was pushed back.

"**NO!**" The Overlord yelled.

"Then let's add our power too! Go Pearl!" Dr. Julien said, as Pearl stood on the other side of the tower and shot a white-fire beam that merged with the others.

The Overlord's attack pushed back further, as the power-level on the machine dropped to fourty percent.

"You go Pearl!" Nya shouted, as she threw her last sword into the beam.

"GOOO!" Auria shouted, as everyone shouted with her.

The Ninja's attack grew stronger as it pushed the Overlord's attack closer towards him. The sword that Nya threw pierced threw the Overlord's attack and hit straight into the core. The Overlord screeched in pain as the power-level drained to twenty percent, and it lost two percent each second.

"**This can't be! How could this happen?! We should have destroyed you! I should have won this time! AAGGHHHH!**!" Overlord shouted, as the power drained to one percent and his attack stopped.

At the same time, the Ninja slowly decreased the power of their attack until they stopped. The seven Ninja were panting, as were the dragons and Ryan. Then the Platinum Tower dispersed, as the Ninja stood standing on each others' shoulders.

"Okay guys, let's-Ouch! Hey! My hair!" Kai yelped when he felt his hair pull down from a foot on his shoulder.

"Oops. Sorry Kai," Zane said.

"Ugh! I can't carry all of you," Lucy said, struggling to hold everyone up as the Ninja began to topple.

"WOAH! WOAH! WOOAAH!" The Ninja said simultaneously, until they all fell down and each yelled out "Ouch" and groaned in pain of falling.

"Are you guys alright?" Nya said, as the dragons landed and she jumped off to see them, as well as Dr. Julien and Marcell.

"They're tired. But they'll be alright," Ryan said, as he walked over to Lucy and gently helped her to sit up.

_Final battle:_

"We've been apart for too long… I've missed you," Akemi said softly, and Darkness looked back towards her and said,

"I've missed you too... how are you here? I thought you used up all of your power and..."

Akemi relaxed her hands on his shoulders and replied, "I used a lot of power, and in the last moment I ended up being sent to another realm. I didn't realize what happened until I was already there. I saw people from that realm coming to my aid... but then I blacked out."

"You created an unintentional rift to another realm?" Darkness asked to clarify, and Akemi nodded.

"I was knocked out for four days until I came around, but my powers were quite drained. I couldn't use them for a long time, but I was slowly regaining my powers, and now I have them back," Akemi said, as Darkness gently twisted a few strands of her hair in his hand.

"I'm glad you're alive my dear. So glad..." Meir said, as his eyes softened and he released her hair from his hand.

Akemi brought her hands off of his shoulders with a sad smile, and said, "Me too... I have the chance to save you now. Another chance to free you, Meir."

Darkness narrowed his eyes and said, "What makes you think that I need saving? I'm no longer the 'Meir' you know, and I'd prefer if you stopped calling me that name."

Akemi's eyebrows furrowed, and she said, "Meir IS your name. That's who you are. Not this 'Darkness' that you use to hide yourself!"

Darkness furrowed his eyebrows and growled a bit, as Lloyd and Raven stood up with widened eyes.

"And what would I be hiding myself from Akemi? Considering that you were in another realm this whole time and could have returned recently since you did it once before," Darkness said, and Akemi's eyes widened as Lloyd and Raven slightly gasped.

Akemi narrowed her eyes as her fists clenched, and she said, "I already messed up the first time trying to save you and I thought staying out of the way would have been better for everyone else. I failed you once and I've regretted it ever since! It was all my fault...!"

Tears quickly gathered in Akemi's eyes as she closed them, but they still rolled down her cheeks. Meir looked at Akemi in surprise, and he moved his hand towards her to comfort her, but he froze for a moment. Lloyd and Raven were holding hands as they tightened their grip, anxiously waiting to see what he was going to do. Darkness was slowly retracting his hand from Akemi with all of his might as his hand was shaking from doing do. However, he froze again as he looked at Akemi with widened eyes when he heard her almost whisper,

"I'm so sorry Meir."

Meir took a step forward as his hands cupped Akemi's cheeks, and he said, "Why? Why are you sorry? You did nothing wrong. If anyone should be sorry... it should be **me**. I caused all of this for everyone, for you! I caused all of this because… I couldn't deal with what I found out… I couldn't accept myself as what I am… and after what I did to my father..."

Meir looked downward sadly with gritted teeth, and Akemi reached up with her hands and cupped his cheeks.

"Meir, we were once the Platinum dragon. I know you. I know your pain. And I know about your father... and that he _let_ you stab him," Akemi said, and Meir's eyes widened.

"What...? What do you mean he _let_ me stab him?" Meir asked.

"He felt you were right to take action against him since your mother died because of him, and how he left you alone. He let you stab him and left himself to die because he felt it was justice. He was always like that," Akemi said, as Meir felt his heart twist up again.

"How do you know this?" Meir asked.

"As I was regaining my powers, I found a way to speak to him. He told me his side of the story, but I had no way of telling you before," Akemi said, as she released Meir's face, and he released her own.

Meir looked away to reflect on this, as Akemi looked towards Lloyd and Raven to make sure that they were okay. They smiled at her to signal that they were alright, and she smiled back with a nod.

" I understand..." Meir said, as he looked towards the three.

"I punished this world because I felt betrayed, but now I realize that I was wrong to take justice into my own hands. I let my own darkness get the best of me, I let my own anger control me... I understand now... I'm sorry... I can't turn back time but I finally learned something from it. This is not the same world from before, and I shouldn't punish any of you for what happened in the past. Nor should I punish those people from before for their own misunderstanding. I see differently now..." Meir said, as he looked down.

Lloyd and Raven felt relieved and quite surprised to hear him say that. However, Darkness look up at them with fire in his eyes and said,

"This world has their Purple and Green ninja, but prove that you two have what it takes to bear that burden... to save everyone... prove yourselves to me."

Darkness' eyes glowed a bright red, as his hands and arms began to emit dark energy. Lloyd and Raven nodded, and they walked a few feet closer to him. They stood in fighting stances with Golden and Silver energy around their arms, as Akemi walked towards them and stood behind them. Her hands also began to glow Gold as she held a calm expression on her face. Darkness smirked a bit, and then their battle continued.


	132. Chapter 132 FA: Ticking Time

Marcell walked over to Lucy to help her stand up along with Ryan.

"Thank you, big sis, and my dear," Lucy said with a smile, as Marcell and Ryan smiled at her.

"What? What do you mean 'dear?' And Ryan, I believe I heard you refer to my sister as 'sweetheart.' What the heck is that about, huh?" Marcell asked with an arched eyebrow, as Ryan and Lucy both sweat-dropped.

"Hee hee. Well sis, Ryan and I are dating now," Lucy said with an innocent smile, as Marcell's eyes widened.

While Lucy and Ryan talked with Marcell, Nya was able to hug and slap Kai over the head, as well as Jay. They accepted her love and punishment. Then Nya hugged Jay again, as he hugged her back and gently combed her hair with his hand.

"You did great Nya," Jay complimented.

"So did you Jay," Nya also complimented.

Kai was happy to see them together, and then he turned to look for Flare. He didn't have to look for long because Flare was standing right next to him.

"You gonna give me a hug, fire guy, or what?" Flare said, as she turned towards him and smiled.

"Of course, shadow lady," Kai said, and he and Flare hugged.

When they pulled back, Kai laid a kiss on Flare's forehead which surprised her, but then she chuckled and stroked his cheek with her backhand.

Christa was helping Cole to stand up, as he shook his head to remove the dirt from his hair. Some of the dirt landed on Christa's hair, and she tried to remove it but she couldn't see well. Cole noticed what he accidentally did, as he removed the few pieces from her blonde hair while apologizing, although Christa told him it was no trouble. After taking off the dirt, Cole brushed his hand through Christa's hair to make sure it was all gone. His strokes became more gentle, as he rested his hand on Christa's shoulder while looking at her with a gentle smile. Christa looked up at Cole when he placed his hand on her shoulder, and she couldn't help but smile back.

Zane was helping Auria up on her feet.

"Are you alright Auria? Is your biological and mechanical systems functioning properly?" Zane asked as he was overlooking her.

"I am fine Zane. Everything is fully functional and in order, thankfully. Are you okay?" Auria asked, as they held both hands together.

"Yes, I am, especially since you are alright," Zane said, and he kissed her hands, which brought a pink blush over Auria's cheeks.

"Zane, my son!" Dr. Julien said, as he approached the two while they separated their hands.

"Dad," Zane said, as he hugged his father.

"I can't be any more proud of you than you've made me Zane, but then again..." Dr. Julien said, and he turned to Auria and reached for her hand as she gave it to him.

"Being compatible with a lovely Cynoichi makes me all the more joyous. It puts my mind at ease to see your life progressing upward," Dr. Julien said, as he held Zane's hand too.

"I'm glad you feel this way dad. You don't know how much it means for you to say this," Zane said, with a smile while his eyes accumulated water.

"Your very kind, Doctor," Auria said, feeling her eyes slightly water too.

Dr. Julien brought Auria and Zane's hands together, as he stepped back and smiled, while Auria and Zane hugged.

In the Turret Cannon, the one percent of power remaining sparked to zero, as a hidden red switch was activated. The sound of a speaker turning on was heard, as everyone looked towards the turret. A voice spoke through the speaker,

"_**Self-destruct sequence has been activated. Five minutes until detonation.**_"

Surprise and shock fell over everyone, until Marcell stepped forward with gritted teeth and furrowed eyebrows, and said,

"Are you kidding me?! There just so happens to be a self-destruct sequence in there too! How did Darkness know to build that?! How did he have the time?! Why does every time things are looking up for the heroes, something like this just happens to happen?! Give the heroes a break man!"

"That's what we intend to do!" Sensei Reine's voice called, as everyone turned to see Sensei Reine parking near them on an aerocycle.

"Sensei Reine!" The kunoichi said in delight.

"And Time Sensei too," Sensei Reine said, as she turned around and Time Sensei arrived surfing on a metal board as she stood afloat near them.

"Hello dearies! I came to assist with this," Time Sensei said, as she took an icosahedron crystal from her pocket that fit in the palm of her hand.

The light in the center of the crystal was changing colors every few seconds and swirling around inside, as a gold ring of intangible light circled around it.

"This is my latest project: The Crystal-porter! It can attach to something, while the other crystal that matches it's ring can be placed somewhere else and even put at a time limit so that the something will teleport to it. It's quite amazing actually, and now it'll be put to great use since that giant gun-thing is about to explode," Time Sensei said happily, as the others were intrigued but a bit surprised at her cheerfulness in that moment.

"See ya lovelies! You know what to do Reine!" Time Sensei said, as she headed towards the TC on her actual hover-board.

Sensei Reine took out a crossbow from behind her back, as the other Crystal-porter was ready to fire on the crossbow.

"Hey Marcell, are you feeling good enough to launch this porter to space while I drive?" Sensei Reine asked.

"Of course I am," Marcell said, as she took the crossbow and jumped on the back of the aerocycle.

"Will you be okay Sister? Sensei?" Lucy asked, with concern.

"Don't you worry lil' sis. We got this. You guys take it easy. You've done a lot to help us, so we're returning the favor," Marcell said, with a wink.

"Be careful Sensei!" Flare said, and Sensei Reine nodded.

Then Sensei Reine flew upward with the aerocycle and Marcell in the back, as they headed passed the clouds.

"How high do you think we can go?" Marcell asked.

"Passed the clouds. Although the air is going to get thinner, so we have to move fast. Set the porter for three minutes," Sensei Reine said, and Marcell did so.

They made it to the clouds.

"Do you think Time Sensei knew about this? I mean, we helped her finished this Crystal-porter and now we need it," Marcell asked.

"Well, she definitely earned the title 'Time Sensei,' since she _is_ always on time," Sensei Reine said.

A radio went off on the aerocycle, as Time Sensei's voice was heard, "Okay ladies! Shoot it up!"

"Alright! Fire Marcell!" Sensei Reine said, as the aerocycle stopped flying up but stayed afloat just above the clouds.

Marcell aimed the crossbow straight up, and fired as the Crystal-porter went flying straight up. While the Crystal-porter flew straight up out of the atmosphere, Marcell settled on the aerocycle, and Sensei Reine turned downward to get back to the Ninja team.

After three minutes, the TC shined in multiple colors, and then it disappeared. The Ninja team looked up, along with Time Sensei since she landed next to them, while they saw something small flash way far up into the sky. Marcell and Sensei Reine were able to make it down to the Ninja team, when an explosion erupted in space, although it was much smaller since it was so high up. Everyone began to cheer and clap and whistle, as their mission was a success.

During this celebration, Ryan looked towards the clouds where Lloyd and Raven were battling within.

'_Come on guys. We completed our mission… now complete yours too,_' Ryan thought.


	133. Chapter 133 Finale (1)

Lloyd, Raven, and Akemi fought against Darkness together. Although it was three against one, Darkness had the speed to avoid their attacks and put up a good fight. However, Akemi didn't interfere much, since Lloyd and Raven were holding their own against Darkness. The battle was quite intense, considering that gold, silver, and dark energy lingered in the air around them.

Then, for the final attack, Darkness stood on one side of the room, as Lloyd and Raven stood together on the other side. Akemi stood out of the way as she watched. Both sides began concentrating a high amount of power in their hands, and then they shot towards one another with beams. Lloyd and Raven's beams stood separate in gold and silver as they made contact with Darkness' dark beam, which was bigger than the two opposing ones.

The power struggle continued, as Darkness' beam was moving closer to Lloyd and Raven. However, Lloyd and Raven merged their beams into a larger platinum beam, as they pushed Darkness' beam back. They continued pushing back and forth, as Akemi walked over to Darkness. He turned towards her as he used one arm to hold his dark beam in place.

"Meir. Please. Let go of your contempt. You can do it now. You can be free, with me," Akemi said, and Meir looked at her sadly.

"But what are we supposed to do my dear? These two are indeed worthy, and I know they're not using their full strength because they know who I am now," Meir asked.

"That's why you hid your identity, right? You wanted them to fight you full force… not like us. Deep down, you wanted all of this to end already, whether you won or not," Akemi said, and Meir looked downward agreement.

"Let them strike you then. Let their Platinum power strike down the darkness still inside you," Akemi said, as she stood right next to Meir and held his free hand.

"I'll stand with you too. You're not alone anymore," Akemi said with a soft smile, and Meir smiled back.

"Thank you Akemi," Meir said, and Akemi nodded.

Then Meir looked towards the beams, and he cut his off. The Platinum beam headed straight for them, as Meir stood in front of Akemi to take the full hit.

At the moment of impact, the Platinum beam shot forth in an even larger radius that hid Meir and Akemi inside of it, as it also blasted a hole into the wall. When Lloyd and Raven stopped their attack, they breathed out in relief, as light from the outside came in. They noticed, as the smoke of the attack was clearing, that the light coming in came from the sun that just started to rise.

Raven breathed out, as she sent a gentle gust of wind to clear out the white fog. Lloyd and Raven were surprised to see Meir and Akemi standing there while holding each other in an embrace. As Lloyd and Raven carefully approached them, they parted from their hug.

Akemi opened her eyes to see Meir, as her eyes widened to see that his hair was no longer spiked up, but relaxed downward like how it used to be. She noticed that he wore a black scarf around his neck instead of a cape, and that his clothes were all purple with a silver belt around his waist. Meir opened his eyes to reveal that they were no longer red, but reverted back to normal black.

"Meir. My darling, your b-back," Akemi said, as her eyes began to water.

Meir looked himself over, and then he looked up at Akemi and said, "I am indeed, my dear. My dear, lovely Akemi."

Meir hugged Akemi again, as she hugged back while tears fell from their eyes. Akemi planted kisses all around Meir's face, and Meir gently laid kisses on her face. They smiled at one another, as they wiped their tears from their eyes. Then they turned towards Lloyd and Raven, who stood close by.

"Lloyd. Raven," Akemi said, as she walked over to them.

"Thank you so much," Akemi said, as she hugged Raven first.

"I-I'm so glad we could help you Akemi!" Raven said, as she hugged Akemi back while her eyes accumulated tears.

Then Akemi turned to Lloyd and hugged him, and said, "I wasn't sure at first, but thank you for bringing me back Lloyd. Thank you so much."

Lloyd hugged her back and smiled, as he said, "Your welcome Akemi. Your very welcome. I figured if anyone would be able to reach him, it would be you."

The two green ninja parted from their hug, as Akemi patted Lloyd on the shoulder. They both turned to see Meir slowly approaching Raven as she looked at him.

"Raven. I... I don't know what to say, except that I'm sorry for all that I put you through. Apologizing alone won't be enough to make up for everything I've done to you, but I wish for it to be the first step in making up for all the harm I caused... I-" Meir cut off when Raven hugged him.

Her tears were falling down, as she said, "I know Meir. I understand. Don't feel so bad. Through all of this, good things did come out of it: I reunited with Lloyd, our friends are together, I have much better confidence and strength than before, and the world is safe now. A lot of good came out from the bad. I don't mind for you to try to make up for everything… right now, I'm just so glad your back to being you!"

Raven started crying, as Meir hugged her back and was also sobbing from her words. After parting from their hug, since both purple ninja were able to gather their composure, they turned to the two green ninja. Lloyd took a few steps towards Meir, as he turned towards him.

"I'm the most sorry to you Lloyd. I hurt you the most. I'm so sorry," Meir said, as he looked downward with regret.

Lloyd signed softly and said, "Meir, it wasn't right what you've done, but I understand why now. Even though you did a lot against us, I'm not above forgiveness."

Lloyd patted Meir on the shoulder, as he looked up at him. Then Lloyd hugged Meir, as Meir hugged him back, and they patted each others' backs.

"I know it'll take time, but I'm willing to put in all the effort to make it up to all of you. I promise," Meir said, and Lloyd smiled.

They parted from their man-hug, and Lloyd said, "I know I can trust the word of a ninja."

Meir nodded, and then Lloyd stood next to Raven, as Akemi stood next to Meir.

"Thank you so much for all that you've done for us. I'll never forget your kindness and bravery. I will also remember and thank you always for never giving up on him," Akemi said, and she leaned on Meir's shoulder, as he held her hand.

"We'll never forget this, Lloyd and Raven. If you ever need us, don't hesitate to contact us. We're connected after all," Meir said.

"Your leaving?" Raven asked.

"Yes. It would be better if I stood away from this world for awhile. Better for the people, and for us," Meir said, as he looked at Akemi.

"Since we're together, we can travel through realms much easier. Don't worry, we'll be fine," Akemi said, and Lloyd and Raven nodded.

"Okay. I hope we'll see each other again soon, under better circumstances, of course," Lloyd said with a smile, and Meir and Akemi nodded.

"Take care Green and Purple ninja. The people of this world are under your care now," Meir said, and Lloyd and Raven nodded.

"Enjoy your lives, and be forever happy together," Akemi said, and Lloyd and Raven smiled.

Meir and Akemi turned towards one another, as they smiled lovingly, and then they planted a kiss on each others' lips. As they did so, a whirlwind of Green and Purple energy circled around them, until they couldn't be seen. When the whirlwind disappeared, so did Meir and Akemi. Lloyd and Raven turned towards one another, as they held both hands together.

"We did it," Lloyd said.

"We really did," Raven said.

They heard rumbling, as they noticed that the cloud fortress was disappearing and reaching under their feet. Keeping their hands locked together, the floor disappeared under them, as they fell. By holding hands, they kept each other balanced as they fell, and the ground was quite far from them.

Lloyd and Raven looked at each as tears were flowing upward from their eyes.

"We really did it Lloyd! We saved Meir and made it alive!" Raven said happily.

Lloyd noticed that the Turret Cannon wasn't in it's place anymore, only a large dent in the sandy floor.

"The others got rid of the machine!" Lloyd said, and Raven turned to see that the tower was gone.

"They did it!" Raven said.

Lloyd pulled Raven towards him, as he summoned his dragon so that they could land safely on the sand. They landed on a sand dune that was shorter than the others, as they stood on their feet.

**-Sniff- -Sniff- One more chapter to go. Then this story will be complete… one more… **


	134. Chapter 134 Finale (2)

After taking a moment to get used to the ground, the two ninja looked towards one another while holding hands and smiling at each other. Then their smiles slowly faded, and they hugged one another tightly, glad to be able to do so.

"It's over. It's finally over," Raven said.

"It is Raven. It is," Lloyd said, as they pulled away from the hug.

They kept eye contact with one another, as they failed to notice that the distance between them was decreasing. Raven's arms rested on Lloyd's shoulders, while Lloyd's hands rested just above Raven's waist. Slowly their eyes began to close, as their lips finally met. Lloyd wrapped his arms around Raven's waist as he pulled her closer to deepen the kiss and take in the scent of lavender radiating from her. Raven kept one arm around Lloyd's neck, while the other was gently combing through his hair while the scent of lemon that radiated from him overtook her senses. They stood there for a minute, which felt like five glorious minutes to them, and then they pulled their lips away from one another while making a click sound. Lloyd and Raven stood in each others' arms for a moment longer, as their cheeks were bright red. They slowly separated, although reluctantly, and they held hands as they smiled and looked away from one another in embarrassment.

"That was v-very nice L-Lloyd," Raven said, as she held one hand near her lips.

"Y-Yeah. It r-really was, Raven," Lloyd said, as he rubbed the back of his head.

They looked forward to see someone appear on top of a sand dune. From the blue clothes, Lloyd and Raven were able to recognize him as Jay.

"Guys! I found them!" Jay yelled behind him, and then he turned and started running towards Lloyd and Raven, unaware of the exchange between the two.

"Lloyd! Raven! You made it! You beat Darkness?! We saw you fall from those clouds but we weren't sure where you guys landed!" Jay said as he ran up to the two ninja.

"It's a long story, but yeah, we won," Lloyd said, as Jay stood in front of them.

The others who took care of the turret ran over, besides Sensei Reine and Marcell since they were on the aerocycle. The Ninja greeted their two fellow ninja with hugs, pats, high-fives, and thumbs up. Nya, Ryan, and Dr. Julien also greeted the Ninja, as Sensei Reine and Marcell parked the aerocycle and went over to see the two ninja.

Lloyd and Raven briefly explained what happened in the cloud fortress: They fought with Darkness, Lloyd summoned Akemi from another realm, they talked, Darkness still fought with them, and then Akemi was able to convince him to get hit with their attack, which purified Darkness and returned him back to being Meir.

"So, where did they go?" Jay asked.

"They left. Probably to another realm for awhile. I'm sure they have a lot to talk about," Raven said.

Then the sound of an engine was heard, as the Ninja team spotted the Bounty coming towards them, along with a smaller flying ship. The two ships landed nearby, as the ramps were laid out. The rest of the Ninja crew with King Arun and the Verpentine, and King Shou and Queen Kani with Dareth, Violet, and Tempura exited their ships from the ramps as they approached the Ninja team.

"You guys did it! You saved everyone!" Stephen shouted, as the Travelers cheered.

"You are truly a remarkable Ninja team! On behalf of the Serpentine and Viporeans, thank you!" Anaca said, as the Verpentine also cheered.

"You guys did it. You saved the world again from certain peril!" Dareth said, as he stood close to the Ninja along with Violet and Tempura.

"We may have stopped Darkness and the Overlord, but we wouldn't have made it this far without all of you guys and your support. So on behalf of all of the Ninja, thank you! All of you!" Kai announced, and everyone clapped and nodded.

Time Sensei rode in on her hover-board, as she landed near Sensei Reine.

"Everyone! May I introduce Time Sensei!" Sensei Reine said, as everyone greeted her.

"Well hello there everybody! It's been too long since I've been around so many peeps before. Nice ta meet'chall," Time Sensei said with a grin as she waved at everyone.

The families were able to unite, even the ones who just jumped on the Bounty because they didn't know what was happening most of the time:

"Jaaayy! Are you alright?" Jay's mother, Edna, said as she and her husband Ed walked over to their son.  
"Mom! Dad! How did you two get here? I'm so glad to see you," Jay said, as he hugged his parents and they hugged him.

"Sensei Wu and the rest of the crew told us what was going on. We became so worried when we heard that you and the other Ninja were going to fight this 'Darkness' character," Ed said, as they parted from their hug.

"It's okay. Everything was settled. We destroyed the evil turret that was going to blow us up, and Lloyd and Raven were able to stop Darkness and bring the good side of him back. He left with his wife in another realm though," Jay said, as his parents were quite surprised.

"Wow son... did you get that written down honey?" Ed asked his wife.

"Almost. What happened when Darkness became good he left with his wife?" Edna asked Jay, as he explained again.

As Ed and Edna were getting everything written down, Jay stood looking at his parents with a relieved expression, since he was happy to see his parents alive and well. He felt a presence near him, as he turned to see Nya standing next to him, as she smiled at his parents and then turned to him. Jay smiled at Nya, as he brushed his hand gently over her cheek. The two closed the gap between their lips, as Jay smelled the sweet scent of strawberry coming from Nya as he wrapped his arms around her. Nya also wrapped her arms around Jay, as she sensed the smell of fresh blueberries coming from him.

-

Kai noticed the interaction between Jay and Nya, and he smiled as he turned to give them space. He saw Flare was hugging her parents, as they hugged her back. He signed in relief to see that everyone was together again: Lloyd was being hugged by his parents and uncle contently, Raven and Sensei Reine were hugging Terrin as he hugged them back, Cole's father came off the Bounty and Cole greeted him with a hug, Auria and Christa greeted their parents with hugs, Zane and Dr. Julien were happily talking, Dareth was with Violet as they greeted the Travelers, and Tempura returned to the Verpentine.

"Hey Kai," Flare said, as she stood next to the fire ninja, and he looked towards her.

"Hey Flare. So you talked to your parents?" Kai asked.

"Yeah. They're really happy to see that I'm alright, and everyone else... mostly me of course," Flare said with a wink, which made Kai snicker.

"Me too," Kai said, as he rested his hand on Flare's shoulder.

Flare smiled, as she placed her hand on Kai's cheek while tracing the side of his jawline with her thumb. Kai smiled, as he placed his free hand on Flare's back, while the one on her shoulder moved to the side of her upper arm. Flare wrapped her free hand around Kai's waist, as she detected a whiff of apple when their lips clashed. Kai took in the scent of pumpkin from her, as he smiled while they kissed.

A few feet away, Arun and Melantha watched, as Arun's jaw was dropped open while Melantha held a smirk on her face. She looked towards Arun, as she closed his mouth with her hand, and said,

"I wouldn't allow them to kiss if that bo... man… wasn't a good one. Of course, he'll never leave my eyesight... unless I'm looking at you sweetheart."

Arun turned to Melantha with a brow raised, while she chuckled. He reached over and pulled Melantha close to him, as he smirked and said,

"I'll hold you to that babe."

Cole and his father, Lou, parted from their hug, as Cole asked,

"I'm so happy to see you again, but what made you come here?"

"If my son is fighting the greatest of evils, why wouldn't his father be there to support his victory?" Lou said with a smile, and Cole nodded.

Then Cole turned to see that Christa and Auria had parted from their hugs with their parents.

"Dad, I want you to meet someone... she means a lot to me," Cole said, as he led his father to meet Christa.

"Christa," Cole called, as Christa turned and headed over to him.

"I would like you to meet my father. Dad, I would like you to meet Christa, my girlfriend," Cole said, and Christa and Lou shook hands.

"Hello Cole's dad! I'm so glad to finally meet you! Cole told me about you," Christa said, happily.

"It's nice to meet you too Christa. My, my, you are so beautiful, and have quite a grip," Lou said, as his hand became numb from how tight Christa was squeezing it.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry. I don't know my own strength sometimes, I'm just so happy to meet you," Christa said, as she released Lou's hand.

"That's alright Christa. I can already see your passion and compassion," Lou said with a smile, and Christa nodded.

"She's a keeper son," Lou whispered to Cole, which made the Earth ninja blush a little.

"Hello there, Earth ninja. It has been awhile. We heard about you being our younger daughter's boyfriend. We approve of course, especially since Auria sent such a detailed analysis of you, and even Zane for her sake," Queen Kani said, as she, Shou, Auria, Zane, and Dr. Julien approached the three.

Cole and Zane looked towards Auria with raised eyebrows, as Auria rubbed the back of her neck and smiled.

"Hm... so since our sons are going out with your daughters, and if they get married, that would make us four, in-laws," Dr. Julien speculated.

"How astonishing! By the marriage of two pairs, we would _all_ be family. This is quite exciting! I may need to write a song about this," Lou said, as he and the parents stood together to talk more.

Auria, Zane, Christa, and Cole just watched them for a moment longer.

"That would make us brother-in-laws, Zane," Cole whispered to the Ice ninja.

"Indeed, but we haven't asked the girls to marry us yet," Zane whispered back.

"We'll ask them when the time is right," Cole whispered, and Zane nodded.

The two ninja turned to their kunoichi.

-

"Our parents already seem to be getting along," Christa said to Cole.

"Yeah. They really are," Cole said, keeping his eyes fixed on Christa.

"Hee hee. Your not even looking to see," Christa giggled, as she looked at Cole.

"I know they'll be fine... just like me and you, my princess," Cole said, as he took Christa's hand and gently kissed it, while she blushed slightly with a smile.

"Such a suave man. Well, in my eyes, a suave prince," Christa said, as Cole slightly blushed while wrapping his arms around Christa's waist, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

A blend of jasmine from Christa and orange from Cole overtook both of their senses, and their lips gently met, as Cole dipped Christa.

Auria and Zane held hands, as they spoke to one another.

"I'm happy to see that our parents are quite content with our compatibility," Auria said, and Zane smiled.

"Yes. It's nice to have their support, and an expansion of two families into one," Zane said, and Auria smiled and nodded.

Zane and Auria became lost in each others' eyes momentarily, as they drew closer together while their hands that were clasped together were the only space between them.

"Auria," Zane said.

"Yes, Zane?" Auria asked.

"I have a strong urge to exchange contact with our lips, if that is alright with you," Zane asked, while Auria's smile widened.

"Of course Zane. I wouldn't mind at all," Auria replied.

Zane and Auria slowly made contact with their lips in a kiss, as a gust of vanilla hit Zane's senses from Auria, while a chill of coconut hit Auria's senses from Zane.

"It's great to see you guys all happy from being human again. Marcell, Lucy, you two have really outdone yourselves by saving your people and the world," Dareth said, as the Traveler Princesses nodded while the Travelers cheered.

"Thank ya for being so polite Dareth, and for taking care of one of our own. We welcome you as a traveler anytime," Marcell announced, as the Travelers agreed.

"Awesome," Dareth said, as he waved at the Travelers and they cheered.

Then Dareth felt a hand on his shoulder, as he turned to Violet while she kept her hand in place. Her skin wasn't pale, and she had a kinder look in her eyes than that of stone.

"Hey babe. What's up?" Dareth said with a smile.

"Will you not mind traveling with us for awhile? We can go back to Ninjago city afterward, if you want," Violet asked.

"For you my dear..." Dareth said, and he kissed her cheek and added, "of course!"

Violet smiled, and then she pulled Dareth towards her and their lips made contact, as she took in the scent of chocolate from him. Dareth was very surprised, but then he relaxed and wrapped his arms around Violet, as he took in the scent of marshmallows from her.

Marcell turned to Lucy, as she dragged her towards Ryan, who was talking to Lloyd and Raven.

"Are you two really gf and bf now?" Marcell asked Ryan and Lucy, as Lloyd and Raven stepped away.

"Yes sister. We are in love! The letters we wrote to one another was when our love started, and it has grown ever since!" Lucy said, as she cuddled her face into Ryan's cheek, while he patted her shoulder with a straight-face since that's just how he always looks.

Marcell's eyebrows furrowed, but then they relaxed, and she said,

"Well alright then. I trust Ryan, so I approve Lucy."

Lucy ran and hugged Marcell, as she hugged her back. Then Lucy turned and hugged Ryan.

"So, sweetheart, about that kiss you gave me, I'm ready to return it," Ryan said with a small smile.

Lucy grinned and said, "Then I'll take it back."

They brought their lips together, and the scents of sage and sea salt mingled, while Lucy smiled during the kiss and Ryan brushed his hand through her hair.

Lloyd and Raven turned to give them some space, while Marcell did so while rolling her eyes. The three looked towards one another as they started chuckling.

Then Time Sensei walked over to Lloyd and Raven and asked,

"So, Meir and Akemi are together again?"

"Yes. They're together now, and nothing will keep them apart," Lloyd said with a nod.

"I'm happy for them. They were able to find each other again, even in the mist of darkness," Raven said.

"You gotta pull through the dark to make it to the light. Thank you for saving them, Green Ninja and Purple Kunoichi," Time Sensei said with a big smile.

"And thank you Time Sensei," Lloyd said, and she nodded.

Raven laid her head on Lloyd's shoulder, as he wrapped his arm around her. Time Sensei stepped back, as she looked at the two and saw them as Meir and Akemi. She turned and looked at the ninja and kunoichi, and she recognized each of the Mountain leaders, who were their great grandparents.

"Thank you for your help ninja, kunoichi... and you grandfather," Time Sensei whispered, as she brought out a pocket watch that flipped open to reveal her grandfather, Elder Vidur.

**It Is Finally DONE! This is the last chapter of Ninjago: Ninja's Way, and I'm so happy right now! :D :D :D**

**I will be uploading a Special Chapter shortly after this one. It will have extra information about the story and something else. **

**Thank you for reading! ;D**


	135. Special Chapter

Special Chapter!

So I wanted to say thank you to all of ya peoples for reading this story! I am so happy that I finally finished it after about 3 years. I didn't expect to take that long with this, but the more I wrote, the more I developed the story and BOOM… 3 years. So, again, Thank You All So Much for reading and giving reviews and for ya'll encouragements! YES! I am crying right now. Crying happy tears!

So, as a "Thank you," I have this extra chapter as an informative chapter which deals with the story and characters(mostly my characters which is anyone besides the actual characters of Ninjago).

I may throw in some additional information at the end.

Also, whatever questions you may have you can ask me here and I'll answer them, and I'll even re-update this chapter to include the questions and answers at the end. You can ask more than one if you want to.

Okay, let's start with: _Where did I get the names for my characters?_

Raven Via Azure: Raven's name came from the fact that her hair is dark like a Raven's feathers. Also, I find the name to hold something mysterious in it, which is how Raven seems at the beginning of the story. Her full name: Raven Via Azure, is Via from her Mother: Reine Via, and her Father: Terrin Azure. I used Via instead of Vio which is related to purple because Via is related to life, which hints at Raven surviving from either dying or becoming evil. Azure is related to blue, which is the eye color of all Black Mambians like her father, and since she's part Black Mambian it works. Also, she wore a blue suit when you first met her in the story.

Raven is the first character I created back before the end of Season One of Ninjago. She was a child at first because my favorite character happened to be Lloyd because I thought he was cute in trying to be evil and his story was quite interesting. I made them as friends, but I decided to wait until the end of Season Two to think of a story. However, when Lloyd became older, I remembered Raven and decided that she needed to be older too, which made me think of the Gem of Ages and Time Sensei…

Flare: Okay… Flare's name came from the fact that she lives in Volcanic Kingdom, so I named her based on fire… and what do you know? She ends up loving Kai.

It wasn't intentional for her and Kai to love each other at first. I was going to let them be friends, but as I started writing, I realized how close they grew since at first they didn't like each other at all. I thought it would be interesting to bring two who didn't like each other, together. ;)

Christa: When I was first thinking about a name for her, I thought Crystal or Christine, but both seemed too ordinary, and I settled for Christa. I decided to look up Christa on google, and I found an Urban dictionary definition which spoke more about personality, but I thought it worked rather well:

"Noun: Christas are intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate, open-minded and kind. Christas are comfortable being a dork because they're sexy as well. Christas have a natural talent for creating great food and doing all they can to please the ones they love.  
Has a tendency to get a little obsessive but it's pretty much harmless. Christas love to fall in love and need to be careful not to hurt feelings unintentionally."

Auria: Her name in Latin means 'wind.' I thought to name her 'Aera' at first, but I didn't like it after awhile, so I searched the internet and found 'Auria.' I wanted to give her a name that starts with an 'A' since she is the older sibling.

I made her almost the opposite of Zane in the fact that Zane is an Android and Auria is a Cyborg. Androids are robots made to look like people, while Cyborgs are people made with robotic parts. That's where I got 'Cynoichi' from.

Silva_: _Her name means 'forest' or 'woodland,' but that's not why her name is Silva. Her eyes are steel-colored, but I didn't want to name her 'Steela,' that sounds too aggressive, so I thought of silver and named her 'Silva.' However, the Ninja do meet her at a forest area, and her husband is trapped in the Forbidden Wilderness so it fits well.

I thought of Silva because I wanted her to seem like the main Bad guy until I introduced Darkness.

Ryan: Ryan was basically the first name that popped into my head when I thought of him and I stuck with it. I first thought of him as a kid, so you can say that he was the third main character I thought of because Ninjago hadn't yet finished up Season Two. (Raven, then Silva, then Ryan) But I let him be an adult.

I made him to be Lloyd's rival, and especially after deciding to make Lloyd and Raven fall in love. Then when I realized that he was alone, and I felt bad for him… than I remembered that Lucy was alone and she knew him… and that's how I brought them together. :)

Terrin: It means 'Earthman,' which reflects him because he lives underground. I was mostly influenced to use this name because of Terra from Kingdom Hearts. ;)

Reine: It means Queen, which is who she is since she married Terrin.

Melantha: Her name means Dark Flower. Although she is good, she used to be bad, so I thought having a name with something nice being referred to as being 'Dark' makes sense. Like a beautiful nightmare.

Arun: His name means 'Dawn.' I wanted his name to refer to him as one who was in darkness that leads people to the light, as he did with Melantha.

Kani: Her name means 'Sound.' She is descended from the first sound user, Lerato. Christa gained her sound abilities from her.

Shou: His name means, 'To Soar.' He is descended from the first wind user, Makani. Auria gained her wind abilities from him.

Meir/Darkness: Meir means 'One who shines.' Reflects his goodness. Of course, calling himself 'Darkness' was basically calling himself the opposite of who he is. Also, Meir is quite sweet and a gentleman to Akemi, and that part of his personality showed when he was with Raven even when he was Darkness.

Akemi: In Japanese, 'Ake' means 'bright,' and 'Mi' means 'beautiful.' Her name reflects her very well. Bright like light, and beautiful like her face! And her personality of course. :)

_Past People:_ I didn't expect to create so many people, but eh, that's what happens.

Yahto: Meir's father. His name means 'Blue,' referring to him being a Black Mambian. He was the third Black Mambian.

Kira: She is Meir's mother. Her name has multiple meaning like, 'Lighthearted,' 'lady of dark beauty,' 'Dark skin,' and 'Sunny/Sun.' I just like how her name sounded, and considering that it is related to light and dark, which is Meir's problem, I guess it worked well.

Midori: Akemi's mother. Her name means, 'Green.' She _is_ the First Green Ninja's mother so… yes. :)

Akeno: Akemi's father. His name means, 'Bright shining field, or beautiful sunrise/dawn.' Akemi was mostly named after him.

Lerato: Mountain leader and first Sound Master. His name means 'Song of my Soul.' Related to Sound.

Adara: Mountain leader and first Fire Master. Her name means 'Fire.' Very obvious. ;)

Peter: Mountain leader and first Earth Master. His name means 'Stone,' 'Rock.' ;)

Makani: Mountain leader and first Wind Master. Her name means 'Wind.' ;)

Rai: Mountain leader and first Lightning Master. His name means 'Trust,' 'Lightning,' 'Thunder.' ;)

Belia: Mountain leader and first Ice Master. Her name means 'White,' 'Beautiful.' Like snow.

Nami: Mountain leader and first Water Master. Her name means 'Wave.' ;)

Kaage: Mountain leader and first Shadow Master. His name means 'Shadow.' ;)

Jetta: Temple guard and Fourth Black Mambian after Yahto. Her name means 'Jet-black' and 'Black Gem,' relating to her hair and clothes, and that she takes the Purple Ninja's orb to guard it after realizing that she is a full Black Mambian since Yahto died.

Garen: Head Temple Guard. His name means 'Guards,' 'Guardian.'

Revere: The meaning isn't important, his name is a reference to Paul Revere who warned of the British were coming, as he warned Garen that the corrupted people were coming.

Elder Vidur: Head of the Temple. His name means 'Wise.'

Viporeons: I thought of this name from my favorite Pokemon, Vaporeon. Also, I wanted to make a name for the female serpentine to be related to 'Viper,' and that's when I fused the names 'Viper' and 'Vaporeon.' ;)

Anaca: She is the leader of the female Anacondrai and second in command of the army to the King and Queen. I just took Anacondrai and shortened it to Anaca.

Serpana: Leader of female Hypnobrai. I took 'Serpent,' and made up Serpana. :)

Vena: Leader of the female Venomari. I took 'Venom' of 'Venomari' and made up Vena. :)

Fajra: Leader of the female Fangpyre. Her name means 'fiery,' like the red scales of Fangpyres.

Carrie: Leader of the female Constrictai. I just randomly thought of the name and it stuck. It means 'Melody,' 'Song,' and 'Manly?'

Mysteria: Female Anacondrai under Anaca, but she is older than her and cranky. Her name is derived from Mysterious.

Vinda: Female Anacondrai under Anaca, and she is younger than her and kind. Her name is derived from 'Linda,' but I took the 'V' from 'Viporeon' to replace the 'L.'

Tempura: Female Constrictai who accidentally released the Male Serpentine, and travels mostly with Dareth. I wanted a name that wasn't familiar since most Serpentine have names like that, even though they have relations to serpents. However, I was thinking of her character, and how she has a good temperament, which made me think of 'temper,' which made me think of 'Tempura.' Also, when I defined her name on google: A Japanese dish of vegetables and shrimp or other seafood dipped in batter and fried in deep fat. Since she lives and is trying to get to Fountain Falls, I figured that her name worked well.

Vampires/Travellers: Whether Vampiric or not, these peeps love to travel. They traveled at night as Vampires, but now that they are human again, they'll return to traveling by day.

Marcell: Her name came from an Adventure Time character name Marceline the Vampire Queen. Since Marcell is the Vampire Queen, I decided to reflect that by shortening the name Marceline. Also, 'cell' in 'Marcell' makes sense because she can break out of any prison cell she is in, like when she was first caught in Volcanic Kingdom.

I was going to let Marcell follow the Ninja a little longer than she did when they first met, but I changed it. Also, I didn't think of Marcell having a sister until the phone call with Silva aka Big Boss.

Lucy: When thinking of her personality, I thought of her as a 'loosey-goosey' type of character that 'goes with the flow,' but isn't dumb. 'Loosey' made me think to call her 'Lucy' since it sounds almost the same. Also, her name means 'light,' and being 'born at dawn.' 'Light' meaning she is good, and I don't know what to make of being 'born at dawn.'

'Go with the flow' is what made me think to make her the Water ninja. :)

Violet: Vampire General, now Traveler. I named her based on her having a purple streak on the center on her hair, but I didn't realize that I named a character from a totally different story that same name. Ha ha! I didn't notice till like, a year ago. :D

Stephen: I was going to call him Steven or Seth, but they sounded too ordinary, so I went with Stephen.

Andrex: I was going to call him Andrew, but it sounded to ordinary too, so I used an 'X' instead of a 'W.'

Bronze: He is quite a 'brazen' character, so I just called him Bronze.

Luna: Her name mean 'Moon,' and her hair is white like the moon.

_Other_: These are other Peeps that I don't have a category for since they are a small group.

Pearl: Purple Dragon and Raven's friend. Basically, she was named after the Viporeon Pearl since she is precious. However, a pearl is hard on the outside and takes a long time to create until it is ready to come out of it's shell, which is how Pearl was when Raven first met her.

Tadi: Huge Koi Fish and Raven's friend. His name means 'Wind,' although he is a fish. I thought it sounded nice, and it sounds like 'tadpole,' even though Tadi is HUGE.

Gary: Aero-machine mechanic in Aeroplane.

Jorgon: Aerocycle Guard of Aeroplane. I was going to call him 'Jorge,' but I wanted his name to be not so ordinary.

Lorena: Lady who Raven met when she first ran away from home. Her name by google means: referring to the laurel tree or sweet bay tree symbolic of honor and victory. I never showed her in this story much…

_Dark Ones_: Villain peeps.

Kerrie: Her name means 'Ruler,' 'Dark', and 'Dusky.' Well, that describes her perfectly, considering she tries to rule all and she's malevolent. Of course, I didn't know the meaning of her name when I thought of it. A long time ago I made up a good character in my head named 'Carrie.' When I was thinking of a name that was for a bad character, I decided to take the name of the my good character 'Carrie,' and switch the first two letters to make it 'Kerrie.' Then when I looked up the meaning, it matched perfectly. A coincidence.

Lizarians: I wanted them to have their own name, and I took 'Lizard' and threw in '-rian.' Their colors show what kind they are, and although I explained it in the story, here it is too:

Red-eyed: Flying. Warrior type.

Blue-eyed: Captor. Fighter-type.

Yellow-eyed: Paralyzer. Mild-fighter.

Green-eyed: Muscle-spazzer. Mild-fighter.

Orange-eyed: Flyer. Assists. Fighter.

Grey-eyed: Bulky Warrior. Resilience. Tough.

Purple-eyed: Leader. Warrior. Poisonous/Toxic.

Carlo: I was going to call him 'Carlos,' but I started calling him Carlo, and the name stuck. His name means 'Strong' and 'Manly.'

Well, that's all the names of every one of my OC in this story. Man it's a lot, but I was able to keep track of them surprisingly. However, if there is someone I missed, please inform me and I will add them. :)

So… yeah. I finally finished this story. Officially!

EDIT: I am going to write a Part Two. Officially! But I have other stories to finish up, and I'm still going to fix the beginning chapters of this story. ;)

And if you've read this far, you are AWESOME! Especially because it didn't take me a day to write this you know…

Thank you Everyone! And I hope to hear from you if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or whatever.

NINJAGO!

EDIT: Here's some questions and comments:

_"... Also what ever happened to ninjago city did everything go back to normal or do the ninja have (in addition to the final battle repairs) repair everything again? And do the ninja and kinochi continue to work with eachother or do the ninja return to ninjago and the girls return to aeroplane to protect it and see eachother in between?"_

The people of Ninjago city decided to let the Ninja and Kunoichi rest while they went to rebuild it along with a certain guy(hint:rebooted). The Ninja and Kunoichi will continue to work together to take care of the kingdoms, so the ninja basically become citizens of the kingdoms, which keeps them in close contact with the kunoichi and one another.

_"I have an idea for multiple (maybe) stories you can write after this one. You can rewrite the rebooted season all the way till ninjago ends completely but with the kinochi (excuse my spelling please) and their friends/families. XD that would be so cool"_

I have considered to use the villains and some ideas from the other seasons of Ninjago in Part Two. Of course, it won't be exactly like the seasons are, like maybe certain villains will appear at the same time and even my own villains may show up too. I'm going to think more about it and then I'll write a preview when I have time and add it as a chapter here. Thank you for your suggestion. :)

_"I remember you saying you wanted ideas for the ninja and kinochi as Disney princess movies, well I've got an idea Raven and Lloyd for Aladdin. Cause Aladdin and Lloyd never had parents their entire lives and Raven is a high and mighty princess who loves her father dearly. It's just an idea you don't have to use it XD"_

-Le Gasp!- You remembered that! :'D I find your idea to be interesting for Lloyd and Raven, I may do it... I may make a series for the Ninjago characters in Disney princess movies until I start official writing part two. I think it'll be fun! I already thought of which story to use Auria and Zane in, but the others I'm not sure. Any more ideas I'll take into consideration. :)

"Another idea for the Disney version can be, if you wanna include them Lucy and Ryan for Tarzan, Cole and Christa maybe princess and the frog, Kai and flare Mulan, and, again if you wanna include them, dare the and violet maybe repunzel. Also I'm the same guest that's posted the past four, including this one, reviews. I just loved this fanfic so much that I wanna see so much more of it. XD. I come back almost daily hoping to see another chapter that says your definitely going to make a sequel, I can't wait for Christmas When I get a laptop so I can get my own account on here and talk to some authors. XD XD XD"

Interesting! I forgot about Tarzan. I will consider to use it. ;) I knew you had to be the same person! And... -sniff sniff- Thank you so much. I'm so happy to know how much you enjoyed this story, and that you want to see more. :'D I'm definitely writing a sequel later, and I'm going to write the Disney/Ninjago story series soon. I hope you do get that laptop and make an account. :)


	136. NinjagoDisney Series (Uploaded)

So, after looking through a list of Disney movies, I took some of them and matched them up with a pair from my Ninja's Way story. I figured not all of the movies needed to be based on Disney princesses, so yeah.

Tell me what you guys think of the Disney movie and couple.

I'm going to start working on the first story here soon:

Tarzan- Cole Christa

Beauty and the Beast- Auria Zane

The Princess and the Frog- Kai Flare

Sleeping Beauty- Jay Nya

Aladdin- Lloyd Raven

Nightmare before Christmas- Dareth Violet

Tangled- Lucy Ryan

Oh! One more thing! Who do you think the villains should be for each story? I'm not entirely sure who to use. They could be from Ninjago and/or from my story.

**EDIT: Just uploaded the first chapter. The name of the series is: Ninjago remix: Disney edition.**


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